Department for Transport

Ambulance Services

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to (a) implement section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006 and (b) allow the use of blue lights and sirens for vehicles providing an emergency medical response which are not commissioned by the NHS.

Andrew Jones: The Government plan to lay regulations in Parliament in 2017 which will prescribe vehicle purposes exempt from speed limits in emergency type situations and the training provisions which drivers must complete before using such a vehicle as required under secion19 of the Road Safety Act 2006. Ambulances are permitted to use blue lights and sirens. However, their use on other vehicles is restricted to those owned, leased or hired by the NHS Ambulance Service operating when directed in response to a 999 emergency call. No changes to these provisions are planned.

Rolling Stock

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for the development of hyperloop type train technologies in the UK.

Paul Maynard: My department is in discussion with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Innovate UK and the Department for Transport’s Science Advisory Council to assess the potential for the development of hyperloop technologies in the UK. The Science Advisory Council intends to publish a paper on hyperloop in early 2017 setting out its position on the technical credibility of the concept and the opportunities it offers to UK industry given our technology and engineering expertise.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the DVLA on the recommendations of the report Driven to Despair, published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in October 2016.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport (DfT) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) accepted four of the six recommendations made by the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO). The DVLA has recruited more staff and medical advisers, which has led to significant improvements in the time taken to deal with medical licensing applications. The DVLA has also introduced a service which allows motorists to notify certain medical conditions online. This system will continue to be developed and improved over time. The DVLA has also significantly improved communications in this area. Letters to medical professionals and customers have been re-written to make them clearer and officials have worked closely with doctors and medical professionals to publish revised guidance. The Department did not accept the recommendation in relation to making separate arrangements so that others can seek financial redress. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency already has in place a well established compensation scheme, which conforms to HM Treasury guidelines. The Department also did not accept the recommendation relating to medical standards for driving. These standards are largely based in law and are devised and agreed by medical experts from six medical advisory panels to inform decisions about the health standards required for safe driving.

Volkswagen

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department had with Volkswagen while considering its response to the Transport Select Committee's Third Report, Volkswagen emissions scandal and vehicle type approval, HC69.

Mr John Hayes: The Department is in regular contact with Volkswagen to press them on a range of issues including their treatment of UK consumers and their progress in fixing vehicles following the emissions scandal. There were no discussions with Volkswagen on the content of the Department’s response to the Transport Select Committee’s Third Report of Session 16-17.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2016 to Question 52776, and with reference to the letter of the same date from the Under-Secretary of State for Transport to the Chair of the Transport Committee, what the reasons are for the difference on whether Govia Thameslink Railway is able or not able to separate claims for force majeure from official and alleged unofficial action.

Paul Maynard: Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) claim for force majeure relates to official and unofficial action by Southern train crew. This includes unofficial action for all days throughout the claim period. On days where there has been a notified strike, GTR’s claim also includes a claim for official action. Due to the unprecedented scale of disruption, the rail industry systems that capture disruption data are unable to differentiate between the two. Any such difference is likely to be immaterial to the passenger affected by this damaging and unwarranted action.

Railways: Standards

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the top three main causes of late-running trains on the rail network were in the last 12 months.

Paul Maynard: The top three delay categories for the period 15th November 2015 to 12th November 2016 were as shown below (all in delay minutes): Network Management/Other 2,713,856Points, Signalling & Other Non-Track Assets 2,461,412Technical Fleet Delays 2,141,106 (Other Delays) 7,040,581Total Delays 14,356,955

Railways: Tickets

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's forecast expenditure on smart ticketing schemes in the rail industry is in each year from 2015-16 to 2019-20; and what estimated completion dates there are for smart ticketing projects during that period.

Paul Maynard: By the end of 2018, my aim is for every passenger to have the choice of travelling without a paper ticket. In the first instance this means commuters having access to a smart season ticket, and other travellers being able to buy and use barcode tickets on their mobile phones anywhere on the network. In a recent speech at the National Transport Awards in October, my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Transport, set out his goal to establish a special project team in the department, under senior leadership, to work with the industry to introduce season tickets on smart cards within the next 2 years. As announced at the Autumn Statement, the government will spend around £80m to accelerate the roll out of smart ticketing, including season tickets for commuters in the UK’s major cities. My Department will oversee the delivery of these programmes with the first Department for Transport and industry Smart Rail Delivery Board meeting planned for January 2017.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Transport of 17 November 2016, Official Report, column 376, when the review of the application of national minimum wage legislation to seafarers in UK waters will commence; and if he will take steps to ensure that that review applies to seafarers working in all sectors of the UK shipping industry.

Mr John Hayes: Officials are already preparing for the review which will commence in the New Year and the Group leading the review will consist of relevant industry and government stakeholders. I can state that the review will apply to seafarers working in all sectors of the UK shipping industry.

Diesel Vehicles: Nitrogen Oxides

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to encourage the retro-fitting of fuel additive LoNOx to diesel vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: The government will consider all appropriate technologies to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The Department’s job is to set standards which encourage industry to develop new or improved technology, but it does not endorse, sponsor, finance, approve or otherwise accept any specific proprietary product. At the Autumn Statement, the Government announced £100m of additional funding for cleaner buses. This will support the purchase of new Ultra Low Emission buses and retrofitting existing vehicles.

Volkswagen

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Minister of State for Transport of 17 November 2016, Official Report, column 364, on car manufacturers: emissions, whether he has received the pledged payment from Volkswagen; and what plans he has to have further discussions with Volkswagen on payments as a result of its manipulation of emissions tests in 2015.

Mr John Hayes: I have received written confirmation from Volkswagen UK that they will reimburse the £1.1m of costs incurred by the Department during the Emissions Testing Programme. The Department is in contact with the company to arrange the payment. I continue to meet regularly with Volkswagen UK to press them to improve their treatment of UK consumers and complete their fix programme as quickly as possible.

Shipping: Pay

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Transport of 17 November 2016, Official Report, column 376, if he will detail the existing working arrangements between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and HM Revenue and Customs' National Minimum Wage (NMW) Enforcement Team in the event of a complaint of (a) nationality-based pay discrimination and (b) non-payment of the NMW for seafarers employed on vessels working from and between UK ports.

Mr John Hayes: (a) The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has not been involved in any complaints regarding nationality-based pay discrimination. (b) The MCA has produced a proforma for seafarers to complete if they wish to make a complaint about non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage. Surveyors can make this available to any seafarer raising a concern. The proforma contains contact details for the National Minimum Enforcement Team at HM Revenue and Customs. The MCA will forward the proforma on request.

Shipping: Pay

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Transport of 17 November 2016, Official Report, column 376, if he will take steps to establish formal working arrangements between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and HM Revenue and Customs' National Minimum Wage (NMW) Enforcement Team to ensure that all complaints of (a) nationality-based pay discrimination or (b) non-payment of the NMW for seafarers employed on vessels working from and between UK ports are fully investigated.

Mr John Hayes: We will discuss with HM Revenue and Customs what improvements can be made to current arrangements, including whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency can provide better support.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Transport of 17 November 2016, Official Report, column 376, if he will list the (a) Government departments, (b) maritime trade unions, (c) shipping companies and (d) other stakeholders who will participate in the review of the application of national minimum wage legislation to seafarers in UK waters; and when the first meeting of the legal review group is planned to take place.

Mr John Hayes: It is expected that this will have a similar membership to the previous legal working group that looked at these issues in 2010. Therefore;a) Department for TransportDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyForeign and Commonwealth Officeb) Rail, Maritime and Transport UnionNautilus Internationalc) UK Chamber of ShippingThese are the core members of the Group.Officials are planning for the first meeting in January.

Network Rail

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2016, HCWS 322, Rail update, what discussions he has had with the Rail Delivery Group on his proposals to change the operation of Network Rail.

Paul Maynard: We engage with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on a regular basis to inform our thinking on a range on matters. We will work closely with stakeholders across industry, including the RDG, as we develop these specific proposals.

Railways

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2016, HCWS 322, Rail update, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposals in that Statement.

Paul Maynard: We follow the standard business case process to inform proposals and ensure value for money.

Transport for London

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria he used to decide whether or not to extend Transport for London's remit to cover the London suburban rail network; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Mayor of London presented a business case for the devolution of suburban London services on the South Eastern franchise. This was scrutinised by Departmental and Treasury officials, analysing the costs and benefits of the proposal including the impact on the South Eastern franchise and the forthcoming competition.

Merchant Shipping: Staff

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of trends in the number of Merchant Navy ratings and the long-term effects of such trends on the UK shipping industry.

Mr John Hayes: In 2015, the total number of UK ratings was estimated to be 8,330. This was 4.9 per cent higher than in 2014, but 5.9 per cent lower than a decade earlier. The Government has commissioned a Seafarers Projections study and a review of Support for Maritime Training (SMarT). Both pieces are due to report shortly and will provide further intelligence to determine what future action to take. The Government is committed to encouraging more young people to enter the Merchant Navy at all levels.

Railways: Freight

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure that after changes to Network Rail are made the national rail network is maintained in a suitable condition for rail freight.

Paul Maynard: Rail freight is an integral part of the railway and will continue to be as we consider how greater alignment between track and train can help deliver a better service for users of the rail network. The Shaw Report very much recognised the importance of rail freight, and I welcome the reforms Network Rail has already undertaken in response, including the Freight and National Passenger Operators route to ensure the interests of freight are represented. I believe it is important that we make sure any future reforms to the rail system work for all users of the network. There are a number of potential models for how greater alignment might be achieved, and I want to reassure you that the Department will be consulting with all stakeholders, including the rail freight industry, as thinking on these proposals develops.

Electrification

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which parts of the East-West Growth Corridor railway lines will be electrified; and what the total cost to the public purse will be of that electrification.

Paul Maynard: During the construction of the line between Oxford to Bedford, any new structures (e.g. bridges) will be built to accommodate future electrification, should this be progressed in the future. With regard to the section from Bedford to Cambridge, this is in a very early stage of development and it has yet to be decided if this section will be electrified on opening.

Merchant Shipping: Recruitment

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to encourage more young people to take up careers as Merchant Navy ratings.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is fully committed to encouraging more young people to enter the Merchant Navy at all levels working across the maritime sector. To support the training of ratings and officers the Government provides support through the £15m “Support for Maritime Training” (SMarT) scheme. There is also a 3 year pilot within the tonnage tax training link allowing tonnage tax companies to train three able seafarer ratings in place of one officer trainee each year responding to industry calls to provide more flexibility. Ratings training is also offered through maritime apprenticeships and further ratings apprenticeships are under development. To encourage the take up of ratings training, the Government works with the maritime industry including the maritime unions in addressing this through, for example, the Ratings Taskforce. The Maritime Growth Study also highlighted the need to raise awareness of careers in the maritime sector. As a result, the industry led “Maritime UK People and Skills Steering Group”, has created an “Awareness subgroup” to identify ways to raise the profile of maritime careers. The group comprises of a cross section of representatives from across the sector, including Government.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Help to Buy Scheme: Liverpool City Region

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many young people in Merseyside and Halton have benefited from the Government's Help to Buy scheme.

Gavin Barwell: Since the launch of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan, Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee and Help to Buy: NewBuy schemes, the total number of homes sold under all three schemes total 183,795 in the UK, of which 5,343 are in Merseyside and Halton.It is not possible to estimate how many of these homes have been sold to young people.

Communities and Local Government: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Mr Marcus Jones: My department has reported mean and median gender pay gap data since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics.The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016In October 2015, the Prime Minister announced that new gender pay gap reporting measures being introduced across the private and voluntary sector from April 2017 would be extended to also apply across the public sector. We are actively working to ensure the gender pay gap data we report in future fully mirrors these new requirements.

Rented Housing: Construction

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release 2,000 new homes and thousands of jobs in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, published on 1 December 2016, if he will set out how the funding from the Government's new Home Building Fund for the construction of those purpose-built rental properties will be allocated.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release 2,000 new homes and thousands of jobs in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, published on 1 December 2016, whether any further funding will be provided by (a) his Department and (b) any other bodies in addition to the funding from the Government's new Home Building Fund for the construction of those purpose-built rental properties.

Gavin Barwell: There are three sources of funding for all three sites: the Home Building Fund investment will comprise 15% of total development cost; the balance will be provided as senior debt from HSBC and equity from the borrower. Beyond the Home Building Fund investment, there is no other public sector funding going in to the construction of the properties. Draw-down of the Home Building Fund investment will take place on a monthly basis, subject to independent verification of expenditure.

Rented Housing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release 2,000 new homes and thousands of jobs in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, published on 1 December 2016, what estimate he has made of the rent levels of those purpose-built rental properties.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release 2,000 new homes and thousands of jobs in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, published on 1 December 2016, whether his Department will play a role in how those purpose-built rental properties will be marketed to prospective tenants.

Gavin Barwell: DCLG will have no direct input into how rental properties are marketed to prospective tenants. The borrower is an experienced operator in the private rented sector, and their track record, along with the proposed marketing and rental strategy was assessed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) as part of the due diligence process. The HCA is satisfied that the rents assumed by the borrower are at a reasonable market level for locations of strong demand for privately rented homes. We would not usually disclose rent levels on a scheme of this type as doing so may impact on the borrower’s ability to operate in the market.

Housing: Construction

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his current guidance to local authorities is on the priority given to different house types in section 106 agreements; and whether he plans to change that guidance.

Gavin Barwell: The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to meet as much of their objectively assessed need for market and affordable housing as possible. Our planning guidance contains advice on how to calculate such need. Section 106 planning obligations are usually used to secure levels of affordable housing, but the actual level will depend on a site-by-site basis having regard to Local Plan policies and the overall viability of the scheme.

Housing: Construction

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 3.11 of the Autumn Statement 2016, in what way restrictions on grant funding will be released in order to allow providers to deliver a mix of housing types; and whether the Homes and Communities Agency's (a) whole programme, (b) affordable rented homes programme and (c) social rented homes is available for bids.

Gavin Barwell: An addendum to the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme (SOAHP) 2016-21 will be published shortly, providing details of the bidding process. The expanded, more flexible, programme will open to new bids early in the new-year through continuous market engagement.

Housing: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the long-term effect on (a) house prices and (b) private rents in the North East of the UK leaving the EU; and what steps he is taking to address any such effect.

Gavin Barwell: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not publish forecasts of house prices or rents.The Autumn Statement confirmed that this government will build from strong economic fundamentals to deliver the homes we need. We announced £5.3 billion of new investment in housing and our forthcoming Housing White Paper will set out a comprehensive package of reform to increase housing supply and halt the decline in housing affordability.

Construction: Hazardous Substances

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies comply with UK regulations when importing potentially hazardous products for the construction sector.

Gavin Barwell: The Construction Products Regulation set requirements relating to the import of construction products. In addition, the General Product Safety Regulations are intended to ensure that only safe products are placed on the market. Both of these regulations are enforced by trading standards bodies.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Oil: Exploration

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences have been granted where the Local Plan does not include development land for such purposes.

Jesse Norman: The process for granting Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences is independent from the development of Local Plans.The Oil and Gas Authority is the petroleum licensing authority. When approving licences the Oil and Gas Authority considers the applicant’s technical competence and financial viability. Once an area is licensed, oil and gas exploration and drilling are subject to landowner consent, local planning permission and other permits. Planning law requires that applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the local authority development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The process for granting Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences is independent of the development of Local Plans.

Post Offices: Strikes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent strikes by Post Office workers before Christmas.

Margot James: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. In each of the last 3 one day strikes held by the CWU and Unite, 99% of post offices have been open as usual because the vast majority are independent franchises. This will mean that another strike at the Post Office will not have a material impact on customers’ ability to post parcels for Christmas as only about 80 post offices have been closed out of a network of over 11,500. This strike will not affect Christmas mail deliveries which are handled by Royal Mail, which is a separate company to Post Office. We encourage the unions to take up the Post Office’s offer to meet with its senior management team to discuss the future of the business rather than persist with strike action.

Minimum Wage: Young People

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the potential effect of businesses paying the adult minimum wage rate to people under 25 years of age who are not in training but carrying out the same work as those 25 years of age or over on (a) rates of poverty and (b) levels of disposable income for people under 25 years of age.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the cost to businesses of their paying the adult minimum wage rate to people under 25 years of age who are not in training but are doing the same job as people 25 years of age or older.

Margot James: The Government will publish an impact assessment on the increase in the National Living Wage and the increases in the National Minimum Wage rates announced at Autumn Statement in due course.The Low Pay Commission also evaluates the impact of the various rates upon both employers and workers, drawing on economic, labour market and pay analysis, independent research and stakeholder evidence. Their report can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-minimum-wage-low-pay-commission-autumn-2016-report.From April 2017 all National Minimum Wage rates, and the National Living Wage, will be increased by more than inflation. The main rate (for 21 – 24 year olds) is expected, at that point, to be at its highest ever level in real terms.

Conditions of Employment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the ruling of the Employment Tribunal on Aslam and others vs Uber of 28 October 2016, case number 2202550/2015, relating to the employment classification of Uber drivers, if he will estimate how many other such subordinate workers there are in the UK who are classified with a different legal status.

Margot James: The Government does not collate data on the employment status of those in the UK labour market with regard to employment rights. However, Matthew Taylor has been asked to conduct an independent review which includes considering the implications for employment rights and other policies of the emergence of new business models such as on–demand platforms.

Uber

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the ruling of the Employment Tribunal on Aslam and others vs Uber of 28 October 2016, case number 2202550/2015, relating to the employment classification of Uber drivers, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that workers so misclassified are receiving (a) the national living wage, (b) paid holidays and (c) other employee rights.

Margot James: This Government is committed to building an economy that works for all and is why my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister asked Matthew Taylor to conduct an independent review to consider how employment rules might need to respond to changes in the way people work. This includes the implications of the growth in self-employment and the emergence of new business models such as on–demand platforms. If anyone has concerns around their employment rights or thinks they have not been paid the National Minimum/Living Wage (NM/LW) they should call the ACAS Helpline on 0300 123 1100 or visit their website for confidential advice. Calls made to ACAS about NMW/LW are passed to HMRC, who consider every complaint whether received through an individual or a third party.

Gas Fired Power Stations

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to bring forward new gas generation in the event that no new combined cycle gas turbine capacity clears the capacity market auction in December 2016.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Gas Fired Power Stations

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate the Government has made of the proportion that gas-fired generation will form of the new proposed 14GW of electricity interconnection to be developed by 2023.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Director of Labour Market Enforcement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Director for Labour Market Enforcement will be appointed.

Margot James: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State plans to announce the outcome of the recruitment process for the Director of Labour Market Enforcement in due course.

Living Wage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2016 to Question 55692, for what reasons his Department did not consult small and medium-sized businesses on the effect of a rise in the national living wage on productivity.

Margot James: The Low Pay Commission consulted extensively with a broad range of stakeholders to inform its recommendation for the National Living Wage, including representatives from small and medium-sized businesses. A list of stakeholders consulted is available from page 197 of its report: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/572730/LPC_report_autumn_2016.pdf The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendation for the National Living Wage rate that should apply from April 2017 which is expected to benefit over a million workers.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cap is on the turnover of businesses to be covered by the Groceries Adjudicator.

Margot James: The Groceries Supply Code of Practice applies to retailers with a turnover exceeding £1 billion for sales of groceries in the United Kingdom.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the (a) legal status is and (b) statutory powers are of the Groceries Adjudicator.

Margot James: The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 established the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and gave the GCA powers to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice which regulates aspects of the relationship between the 10 largest grocery retailers and their direct suppliers. These powers allow the GCA to:investigate complaints from any source about how supermarkets treat their suppliers;make recommendations to retailers if a complaint is upheld;require retailers to publish details of a breach of the code;impose a fine on the retailer up to a maximum of 1% of their annual turnover; andarbitrate disputes between retailers and supplier.

Tidal Power

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the Hendry Review of Tidal Lagoons; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Hendry Review has submitted its report to the department. We are grateful for the hard work that has gone into the Review. Government will need to look carefully at the Review’s findings in the context of its wider energy policy and to ensure that tidal lagoons represent value for money to the consumer. The publication of the report on the independent review of tidal lagoons is the responsibility of the Hendry Review. We understand that it will be published shortly.

Director of Labour Market Enforcement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) workers' representatives groups and (b) trade unions were consulted by his Department during the drawing up of the shortlist for Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

Margot James: The recruitment campaign for the Director of Labour Market Enforcement was undertaken in line with guidance issued by the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). The selection panel was chaired by an OCPA appointed Public Appointments Assessor (PAA), and included representatives from the Home Office and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and an independent panel member.

Labour Market

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of workers employed within sectors of the economy that the Government has identified as at risk of labour market abuse and exploitation.

Margot James: The Government has created the role of Director of Labour Market Enforcement who will lead an intelligence hub to draw together evidence and intelligence about abuse in the labour market. It will be a priority for the Director, once in post, to make an assessment of the risk of abuse and exploitation in different sectors of the economy. This will form part of the annual labour market enforcement strategy which will set the strategic priorities for the work of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and enforcement of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage by HM Revenue and Customs.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Margot James: The Office for National Statistics already publishes a comprehensive set of data on Civil Servants in each Government Department on an annual basis in October. This includes average salaries and any existing pay gaps by gender. The Government has published draft regulations, under the Equality Act 2010, for the gender pay gap reporting requirements. These regulations remain in draft until they are approved by Parliament. Under these draft regulations, employers with 250 or more employees have to publish information relating to the gender pay gap in their organisation within a 12 months period ending with the snapshot date of 5 April each year. The Department will meet any requirements on gender pay gap reporting placed upon it.

Business

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses are operating within the (a) construction, (b) care homes, (c) hotels and (d) catering sectors in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Margot James: The Business Population Estimates published in November 2016 give the following estimates for the number of private business in the UK: (a) construction, 342,490 (Division 41, Construction of buildings)(b) care homes, 36,620 (Division 87, Residential care activities)(c) hotels, 8,815 (Group 551, Hotels and similar accommodation)(d) catering sector, 149,440 (Division 56, Food and beverage service activities) The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/business-population-estimates-2016.

Migrant Workers

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to conduct a regional analysis of levels of unskilled migration and its effect on local wages.

Margot James: The Migration Advisory Committee undertook a comprehensive study on migrants in low-skilled work in 2014. This provided analysis on regional and wage factors.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Human Trafficking: EU Action

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has for inclusion within negotiations on the UK leaving the EU the continuing participation by the UK in Operation Sophia; and if he will take steps to ensure continuing UK participation in that operation after the UK has left the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK remains fully engaged in European defence and security, as our ongoing commitments to European Union Common Security and Defence Policy operations and missions demonstrate. Our future relationship with the EU on foreign and defence policy is something that will be addressed in the future. But it is clear that we share many challenges with other European nations, and therefore it is in our shared interests to continue to cooperate.

Gambia: Election Observers

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the EU and (b) the government of the Gambia on the government of the Gambia's decision to refuse EU observers access to elections due to be held on 1 December 2016 in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The refusal of the Electoral Experts Mission was discussed by officials in Brussels on 16 November. The Ambassador also stressed the importance of free and fair elections in a meeting with the Gambian Foreign Minister on 15 November. Our Ambassador and his team will also be following the election closely with other diplomatic missions on the ground. We will urge the African Union and Economic Community of West African States to monitor the situation closely.

South Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in South Sudan on (a) the role of the UN Mission in that country and (b) measures to protect civil society in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly urge the Government of South Sudan, including the Foreign Minister, to allow UNMISS effectively to fulfil its mandate across the country. This includes allowing freedom of movement, and expediting the deployment of the UN Regional Protection Force. Most recently the FCO Africa Director lobbied the First Vice President on 24 November. Civil society in South Sudan is increasingly constrained by the Government, security forces and other groups. We are concerned about the impact of the NGO law which has reduced their space to operate. The UK has consistently spoken out in support of civil society and lobbied the Government on this issue.

Kenya: Money Laundering

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK is taking to work with financial institutions in Kenya to safeguard against the laundering of the proceeds of corruption originating in South Sudan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK firmly believes corruption is at the heart of many of the world’s problems and needs to be addressed as a threat to global security. In particular we support efforts by the International Financial Institutions, South Sudan’s neighbours and development partners to fight corruption in South Sudan and embed more transparency and accountability in the use of its resources. These are critical elements of the Peace Process.

South Sudan: Arms Trade

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has raised with the US administration an arms embargo on South Sudan since the outbreak of violence in that country in July 2016; and whether the Government has proposed draft Security Council Resolution language to encourage Council agreement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: An EU arms embargo has been in place since 2011. The UK has lobbied extensively in support of a UN arms embargo, both in New York and across the region. We have also voiced public support for the embargo. The US proposed a Security Council Resolution imposing an embargo in November this year and we continue to work with them to persuade our partners that this is an appropriate response to the current crisis and ultimately would protect civilians in any further outbreak of conflict. Russia has adamantly opposed the introduction of an arms embargo.

Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received reports of children of UK nationals being held in Iraq or Syria because their parents or a relative is a member of Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are a number of British minors in Daesh controlled territory, some have travelled of their own accord, whilst others have travelled with their families.The UK advises against all travel to Syria and parts of Iraq. Anyone who does travel to these areas, for whatever reason, is putting themselves in considerable danger. Those who travel abroad to participate in conflicts may be committing criminal or terrorism offences and could face prosecution on return to the UK.

Israel: Courts Martial

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information the Government holds on whether any UK nationals sit as judges in Israeli military courts.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold any information on this issue.

Eritrea: Political Prisoners

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to Early Day Motion (EDM) 504 of Session 2015-16, Prisoners of Conscience in Eritrea, if he will meet with the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK to discuss the cases of Dawit Isaal, Aster Fissehatsion and the other political prisoners referred to in that EDM.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​We remain concerned about the human rights situation in Eritrea, including the arrest and continued detention of politicians, journalists and religious figures. FCO officials regularly press the Government of Eritrea to fulfil its international human rights obligations. We will continue to work with the international community to address ongoing human rights concerns in Eritrea as set out by the Early Day Motion (EDM) 504 of Session 2015-16.

United Arab Emirates: Human Rights

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to raise reports of human rights violations in the United Arab Emirates during the 2017 UK-UAE Year of Culture.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our close relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) allows us to discuss important issues such as Human Rights and where the UK has cause for concern we raise it at official and Ministerial level. The 2017 UK-UAE Year of Culture presents an excellent opportunity for strengthening and developing dialogue between our two countries.

United Arab Emirates: Rape

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many British women were arrested for reporting rape in the United Arab Emirates (a) between 2011 and 2016 and (b) during 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​We are unable to give information on the number of British nationals that have reported rape to the Emirati authorities. Due to the low numbers involved, this may lead to individuals being identifiable.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2016 to Question 49936, what the names are of the six projects funded through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund during the 2016-17 financial year.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The six projects mentioned in the answer to Question 49936 have no specific names and we refer to them through the descriptions already provided.

Israel: Bedouin

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his Department's news story on plans to demolish a Bedouin village in Israel, published on 23 November 2016, whether he has raised concerns on behalf of the Government with the Israeli ambassador in addition to the concerns he has raised on behalf of the House; and what the outcome of such discussions have been.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​I raised concerns about plans to demolish the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran when I spoke to the Israeli Ambassador on 23 November. Although the demolition did not happen before the 30 November the threat remains. The UK continues to call on the Israeli authorities and Bedouin community to work together to find a solution that meets the needs and respects the rights of the people affected.

Serbia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he or his Department had with representatives of the Serbian newspaper Danas on his visit to Serbia on 11 November 2016.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55857, what the cost to the public purse was of the official government car used during the state visit to Serbia on 11 November 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: Neither the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) nor his officials had any interaction with the Serbian newspaper Danas about the visit to Serbia on 11 November 2016. The Foreign Secretary spent approximately 45 minutes at the bookstore for a roundtable on media freedom with a small number of journalists and editors. The Foreign Secretary issued a tweet following the roundtable, highlighting the need for strong independent media in any democracy. There will be no further public record of the discussions. The Serbian government offered the use of their protocol vehicles, free of charge, to transport the Foreign Secretary for the duration of the visit. As is standard practice for official ministerial visits, the Embassy in Belgrade provided transport for some of the visiting delegation and Embassy staff to attend meetings.

Serbia: Visits Abroad

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55856, if he will publish any record made of discussions held during his visit to the Geca Kon bookstore, Serbia, on 11 November 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: Neither the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) nor his officials had any interaction with the Serbian newspaper Danas about the visit to Serbia on 11 November 2016. The Foreign Secretary spent approximately 45 minutes at the bookstore for a roundtable on media freedom with a small number of journalists and editors. The Foreign Secretary issued a tweet following the roundtable, highlighting the need for strong independent media in any democracy. There will be no further public record of the discussions. The Serbian government offered the use of their protocol vehicles, free of charge, to transport the Foreign Secretary for the duration of the visit. As is standard practice for official ministerial visits, the Embassy in Belgrade provided transport for some of the visiting delegation and Embassy staff to attend meetings.

Norway: Fisheries

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he held discussions on the future of the UK fishing industry with the Norwegian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) and the Norwegian Foreign Minister discussed a range of foreign and bilateral policy issues. The future of the UK fishing industry was not discussed.

Food: Overseas Trade

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he held discussions on the potential effect of tariffs on the seafood trade between Britain and Norway with the Norwegian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary met Børge Brende, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, in London on 5 December. Børge Brende, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, did not raise the subject of fishing, and neither did the Foreign Secretary. Most of their discussion focused on the US election, and Brende’s impression of a what a Trump administration may look like. They also discussed Brexit and the protection the UK’s membership of the EU had provided against the growth of red tape. Brende had a separate meeting with Sir Alan Duncan on a similar range of issues and fishing was not raised.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Location

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings have taken place between officials of his Department and Barclays representatives on the proposed move of 5,700 civil and public service posts to 10 South Colonnade.

Ben Gummer: Officials of the Cabinet Office have held frequent and extensive meetings with our appointed advisors and with Barclays and their advisors since late 2015 to agree commercial terms of the lease assignment of 10 South Colonnade from Barclays to Cabinet Office. Discussions held were commercial in confidence.

List of Ministerial Responsibilities

Sir Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to correct contact detail inaccuracies in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities published in October 2016.

Sir Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the Cabinet Office List of Ministerial Responsibilities published in October 2016 does not have Ministers' Private Office email addresses in all cases but rather generic email addresses; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the Cabinet Office List of Ministerial Responsibilities published in October 2016 does not have Ministers' Private Office telephone numbers in all cases but rather switchboard numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The List of Ministerial Responsibilities sets out the individual responsibilities of Government Ministers and departments. It also provides details of Non-Ministerial departments and Executive Agencies. It is for individual departments to determine the level of contact details to be provided, and they try to be as helpful as possible. When errors are identified, they are corrected on the online version. An updated hard copy version will be issued in due course.

Cabinet Office: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Ben Gummer: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Procurement

Karl Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has for reform of Government procurement after the UK leaves the EU.

Karl Turner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps along with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to plan reform of public procurement rules in order to support strategic industries after the UK leaves the EU.

Ben Gummer: The current public procurement rules will continue to apply until the UK has left the EU following the successful conclusion of exit negotiations. The longer-term options for our procurement regulations are being considered carefully.We are already working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to support strategic industries within the existing procurement rules. For example, we have published guidelines for departments to apply on major projects when sourcing and buying steel to open up the steel market; level the playing field for UK business; improve visibility of opportunities on major projects; and stimulate competition:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-1615-procuring-steel-in-major-projectsWe have also published a Balanced Scorecard guide, designed to help public procurers in balancing straightforward matters such as cost against more complex issues, such as social and wider economic considerations when designing their procurement approaches:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0916-procuring-for-growth-balanced-scorecard

Digital Technology

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the digital transformation projects (a) ongoing and (b) planned.

Ben Gummer: The Government is committed to transforming the relationship between citizen and state by harnessing digital technology, to build and deliver services. The Cabinet Office is running the following digital transformation programmes: · Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service - a first rate, efficient and trusted electoral registration system for all citizens; GOV.UK Verify - delivering a new digital service for citizens to prove who they are online securely and safely when using government services. Citizens can currently use GOV.UK Verify to access 12 government services including for self-assessment tax returns and viewing their driving licence information; the Government as a Platform programme - a number of new cross-government platforms which will make assembling government services faster, cheaper and better. As part of this programme, GDS is currently developing: v GOV.UK Pay - a shared payments solution for users to make payments;v GOV.UK Notify - a shared tool for sending messages to users to update them; andv Platform as a Service for government - a shared digital hosting platform We are also making improvements to the digital tools used by civil servants to increase government efficiency. These programmes will reduce financial losses through fraud and error and improve overdue debt management; improve the effectiveness of UK resilience planning, response and recovery, by enabling stronger multi-agency collaboration and reform public services; and improve social outcomes and create savings for the taxpayer through the expansion of Social Impact Bonds. We will make an announcement about future plans in due course.

National Cyber Security Centre

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress has been made on the incorporation of the Cyber Information Sharing Partnership into the remit of the National Cyber Security Centre.

Ben Gummer: The Cyber Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP) was formally taken over by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on 1 October 2016 with no loss of operational service to its several thousand members. In order to align CiSP with the work of the NCSC, CiSP underwent an extensive rebranding and adopted the NCSC logos and graphics. New features were also released, such as Structured Incident Reports.CiSP's membership has increased significantly in 2016. We have seen growth of 42% and 45% respectively for individuals and organisations joining the community this year, with more than 20 different industrial sectors represented. Since the launch of the NCSC website, CiSP applications have tripled, and member traffic on the platform has increased by 25%.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Attorney General, how many unpaid internships there are in the Law Officers' Departments.

Robert Buckland: There are no unpaid internships in the Law Officers Departments.

Attorney General: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Attorney General, what plans the Law Officers' Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Robert Buckland: The Government has consulted on its proposals to extend its commitment to mandatory gender pay gap reporting to the public sector. The Government Legal Department, Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office will comply with any future publication requirements which will apply to it when the relevant legislation is in place.The Attorney General’s Office and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate are organisations with less than 250 employees so are not expected to be required to publish any gender pay gap information on their website. The expectation however is that they too will comply with the spirit of the legislation.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that its aid budget is (a) spent on the projects to which it is allocated and (b) not diverted to terrorist organisations.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development has controls in place to protect its aid budget throughout the project cycle. Every project is subject to an annual performance review and a project completion review to ensure that the objectives have been achieved and aid has been delivered to the intended beneficiaries. Controls also include a comprehensive risk management framework which requires risk to be identified at design stage and reassessed regularly during the project. This includes the risk of aid diversion to terrorist organisations. Prior to the release of funding the Department undertakes a rigorous due diligence process on its delivery partners, with the findings re-tested at each annual project performance review.The Department is proactively engaged in the cross Government agenda to strengthen its response to the threat of terrorist financing. Internal procedures and guidance have been enhanced and a dedicated Counter Terrorist Financing Officer appointed.

British Council

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much overseas development aid funding was provided to the British Council in each of the last six years by country.

Rory Stewart: The amount of official development assistance funding provided to the British Council between 2010/11 and 2015/16, by country, is set out in the attached table. 78% of the British Council’s ODA funding is from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and 22% is from the Department for International Development.



56257 attachment
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.44 KB)

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what financial contribution her Department has made to UNAIDS in each of the last five years; and what financial contribution her Department plans to make in 2016-17.

James Wharton: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)Financial YearCore contribution2011-12£10million2012-13£10million2013-14£15million2014-15£15million2015-16£15million2016-17£15million

Iraq: Military Intervention

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2016 to Question 48999, what estimate she has made of the number of civilians injured during the coalition forces' attack on Mosul; and how many children have been protected by the humanitarian assistance provided by the £40 million of extra funding announced on 21 September 2016.

Rory Stewart: Operations started in Mosul and surrounding areas on 16 October 2016. UN casualty figures for Ninewah (the governorate in which Mosul is located) estimate that 332 civilians were killed in November and 566 civilians in October. The UN, the UK and our partners are clear that the situation in Mosul is a result of Daesh’s utter disregard for civilians. The Iraqi Security Forces and the Coalition are making every effort during operations to protect civilians. The UN cannot verify these figures and state that they are likely to be at the lower end of the scale. The numbers are not disaggregated by the cause of civilian deaths.As of 9 December, more than 85,000 people have been displaced from Mosul, half of them children. The UK is supporting the UN and partners to assist these people and around 45,000 people still inside Mosul in areas re-taken from Daesh, including children. This includes vital humanitarian assistance, including food, water, shelter, medical and protection services.

Department for Education

Home Education: Travellers

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of elective home education for children from the traveller community; how many of those children achieved five or more GCSEs including English and mathematics at grade A* to C in the last academic year; how many of such children went to university in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: As there is no registration requirement for home educated children, overall numbers are not known and no general assessment of the effectiveness of home education for Traveller children can be undertaken. As part of their duty to identify children who are not receiving suitable education, local authorities work with Traveller communities to ensure that children are either being educated at home effectively, or attend school. The Department publishes statistics on the attainment of pupils from Traveller of Irish heritage backgrounds and their destinations after the end of key stage 4 and key stage 5, but these only cover pupils and students who attend state-funded schools and colleges and not those who are electively home educated.

Secondary Education: Teachers

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of secondary school teachers are (a) male and (b) female.

Nick Gibb: The proportion of male full-time equivalent teachers in service in state funded secondary schools in England, November 2015 is 38%. The proportion of females is 62%.

Teachers: Recuitment

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to attract people seeking a career change into the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: Career changers are an important source of new teachers and who bring relevant knowledge and experience from their previous employment. In 2016/17, 20% of new entrants to initial teacher training (ITT) courses were aged 30 years or over, an increase of 2 percentage points from 2015/16. Our marketing campaign, ‘Your Future - Their Future’, uses a range of advertising to promote teaching. As part of this, we will run a month-long ‘New Year New Career’ sub-campaign in January which will be dedicated to attracting more career changers into teaching. We provide support to potential career changers, including bursaries or scholarships of up to £30,000 tax-free, advice and guidance from expert advisers on the Teaching Line, help with arranging school experience to assist with their ITT application and access to our free Train to Teach events. We also provide specific support for career changers to make the transition to teaching. This includes:The School Direct (salaried) route which is specifically targeted at career changers with three years’ work experience and which allows them to earn a salary whilst they train to teach.Courses at 10 School Direct lead schools in mathematics and physics, which began in September 2016. There are two routes available within this pilot:An accelerated full-time route to achieving Qualified Teaching Status in 6 months, rather than a year, aimed at those who wish to move quickly into teaching and have the experience and ability to do so; andA part-time route up to 2 years for those people who may have family or other commitments that restrict the hours each week they can train and then teach and/or who want to work closer to home.Outside of this pilot, there are 5 other flexible ITT courses.

Primary Education: Teachers

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of primary school teachers are (a) male and (b) female.

Nick Gibb: The proportion of male full-time equivalent teachers in service in state funded primary schools (including nursery) in England, November 2015 is 15%. The proportion of females is 85%.

University Technical Colleges: Teachers

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of university technical college teachers are (a) male and (b) female.

Nick Gibb: The proportion of male full-time equivalent teachers in service in University Technical Colleges in England, November 2015 is 53%. The proportion of females is 47%.

Teachers: Males

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to attract men into the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: We value diversity in the workforce but want the best people in the classroom, regardless of their gender. Evidence shows that the quality of teaching is the single most important factor in determining how well pupils achieve. Our support ‎for recruitment to initial teacher training (ITT) is mainly aimed at the secondary phase. We offer generous financial incentives including bursaries and scholarships worth up to £30,000 to attract the best graduates into the profession. We have also given schools the freedom to recruit and train their own teachers.There have been 8,604 male entrants to postgraduate ITT in 2016/17 (32 per cent of the total). The proportion of entrants to secondary postgraduate ITT in 2016/17 that are male is 40 per cent, an increase of three percentage points since 2012/13. The proportion of primary entrants to postgraduate ITT in 2016/17 that are male is 20 per cent, a decrease of three percentage points since 2012/13.

Free Schools: Admissions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much public funding the Education Funding Agency expects to (a) successfully claw back and (b) fail to claw back from free schools which have failed to attract the number of students initially planned for the current academic year.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the Education Funding Agency identified as needing to be clawed back from new free schools which failed to attract the planned number of students in each academic year since 2009-10; and how many free schools were identified as having funds which needed to be clawed back in each of those years.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding the Education Funding Agency has clawed back from free schools due to such schools admitting fewer pupils than planned in each academic year since 2009-10; and how much such funding has not yet been clawed back from such schools relating to each of those years.

Edward Timpson: The free school programme is responsive to local needs and free schools are initially funded on pupil estimates. For all schools funded on estimates the Education Funding Agency (EFA) carries out an annual pupil number adjustment to bring allocations back into line with the actual numbers reported through the schools census. Some free schools will receive either increases or reductions as a result of those pupil number adjustments. The Department works closely with schools each year to review estimates and to help minimise the likelihood of significant adjustments.For the current academic year, 2016 to 2017, the EFA is in the process of calculating pupil number adjustments based on the October 2016 schools census. All schools will be notified of any increases or reductions to their allocations by Spring 2017. The EFA plans to make recoveries in respect of any and all negative adjustments, which will mostly take place over the course of the following academic year, 2017 to 2018. The EFA is currently in the process of making recoveries relating to 2015 to 2016.The table below sets out for all relevant academic years up to and including 2015 to 2016, details of the total pupil number adjustment recovery calculated for free schools, the number of schools affected, the value of recoveries written-off, and the amount remaining to be recovered.Academic YearNumber of free schools with pupil number adjustment recoveriesTotal value of pupil number adjustment recoveries for free schoolsAmount recovered to dateAmount written-offAmount remaining to be recovered2015/1681£11.7m£5.1mNil£6.6m2014/15117£11.2m£8.2m£0.1m£2.9m2013/1476£6.3m£4.4m£0.7m£1.2m2012/139£0.2m£0.2mNilNil

Schools: Standards

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department allocated from the public purse for the (a) London Schools Challenge and (b) Northern Powerhouse Schools Strategy.

Nick Gibb: The original London Challenge included a number of funding streams in addition to “in kind” contributions. As a result, there is no single figure for the overall budget allocation. The independent evaluation of the City Challenge, which grew out of the London Challenge, stated that the total funding for London was £80 million[1]. More recently, in the March 2016 budget, the Government committed to investing £20 million a year of new funding for the Northern Powerhouse Schools Strategy[2].The Department will continue to work with schools across all parts of the country to ensure all children receive a high quality education. [1]  Evaluation of City Challenge Programme - Page 3[2] Budget 2016 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2016-documents/budget-2016

Apprentices

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications of the Social Mobility Commission's evaluation of the quality of apprenticeships as set out in its report, State of the Nation 2016, published in November 2016, for the (a) quality of new and existing apprenticeship standards and (b) guidance on the design of such standards; and if she will establish a robust quality criteria for apprenticeships.

Robert Halfon: We have robust criteria in place in order to ensure that all apprenticeship standards are of high quality and relate to distinct occupations. Our core quality principles also ensure that all apprenticeships are a job in a skilled occupation and that they require substantial and sustained training, lasting a minimum of 12 months and involving at least 20% off-the-job training. In turn, the knowledge, skills and behaviours contained within a standard need to be met by any apprentice undertaking it, and their competence is then tested by an independent and rigorous end-point assessment at the end of the apprenticeship.Apprenticeships offer both employment and skills for those looking to progress, are available to all those over the age of 16, and we must ensure equality of access to these great opportunities. We are considering the implications of the Social Mobility Commission’s report for our apprenticeship programme.

Secondary Education

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration her Department has given to (a) travel time and (b) the availability of public transport for pupils travelling to secondary school when making decisions on (i) opening new and (ii) closing existing schools.

Caroline Dinenage: Home to school transport is a matter for the local authority. When publishing a specification for a new school in order to meet a need for additional places, local authorities will assess the transport needs of the pupils, including safe walking routes, transport infrastructure and journey times. Local authorities are also consulted on applications made to the Department to establish new free schools and are able to make representations about school transport should they wish to do so.The decision on whether or not to close a maintained school is taken by the local authority. As part of this decision they must consider the implications for school transport. The local authority will also be consulted on any proposals to close an academy and will be able to make representations about school transport should it wish to do so. The Secretary of State will consider any representations made when making her decision.

Pre-school Education

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful prosecutions Ofsted have brought against early years providers who did not take the action required in a welfare requirements notice in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: Ofsted is the non-ministerial government department responsible for the regulation of childcare providers in England. Ofsted is responsible for notifying providers of action needed to address failings identified in inspections and for taking subsequent enforcement action where appropriate. We have informed Ofsted of this question and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector will be writing to the hon. Member in response. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Apprentices: Taxation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the annual costs to charities of the apprenticeship levy.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of medical research charities she expects to incur costs as a result of the apprenticeship levy.

Robert Halfon: We have published estimates of levy payments by sector, and previous apprenticeship spending by sector: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/545145/Apprenticeships_-expected_levy_and_total_spend_-_Aug_2016.pdf There is no specific assessment of registered charities or medical research charities. However, employers paying the levy will be able to access funding for apprenticeships through a new digital apprenticeship service account, and the government will apply a top up of 10% on their digital funds.

Ofsted: Disclosure Of Information

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions in 2015 and 2016 Ofsted has required governors to sign a declaration that they will not share an Ofsted Report on their school or college with anyone else.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to extend funding for maintained nursery schools beyond the two years proposed in her Department's consultation, Early years funding: changes to funding for three and four-year olds.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to consider funding maintained nursery schools under the school national funding formula.

Caroline Dinenage: Maintained nursery schools make a very important contribution to social mobility, and as providers of early education, they are funded from the early years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant. Once the new Early Years National Funding Formula is introduced, they will receive their funding for three- and four-year-olds this way. It is in recognition that maintained nursery schools experience costs that other providers do not that we announced on 1 December 2016 in the Government’s response to the consultation on an Early Years National Funding Formula, that we will extend the provision of supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools at least up until the end of this Parliament. This will provide maintained nursery schools with stability by allowing local authorities to maintain their current funding levels, and is part of our record investment in childcare – £6billion per year by 2020. We will consult the sector on the future of maintained nursery schools, including on what happens after this extended period, in due course.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place copies of all responses received to the Government's consultation on early years funding in the Library.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government published its response to the Early Years National Funding Formula consultation on 1 December. The response contains a thorough analysis of responses to each of the questions and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/early-years-funding-changes-to-funding-for-3-and-4-year-olds

Pre-school Education: North of England

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to (a) commission research into the early years gap in the north of England and (b) create an effective plan for closing that gap.

Caroline Dinenage: In May 2016, the department commissioned a feasibility study to investigate the regional gap in early years attainment at age 5. The study recommended undertaking longitudinal analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study (MSC) to assess variation in attainment and evaluate the potential drivers of a regional gap. The department has commissioned a study to build on the recommendations of the feasibility report, which will bring greater insight into the potential drivers on the regional attainment gap. As indicated in the Northern Powerhouse Strategy published in November 2016, this department will be working with northern city regions and other areas in the North of England facing the greatest challenges, to explore options for improving the delivery of early years outcomes: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/571562/NPH_strategy_web.pdf?platform=hootsuite

Postgraduate Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on funding for postgraduate education courses of the UK leaving the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has announced that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017/2018 Academic Year (or before), will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants, including the new Masters Loan. This will remain the case for the duration of their course, even if the UK exits the European Union during that period.Applications for the 2018/2019 Academic Year do not open until September 2017 and we will ensure students applying have the relevant information in advance of this date.With regards to research funding, we have clarified that EU students who are eligible for Research Council support for postgraduate training under current rules will continue to be eligible if they have been (or will be) recruited to start in the 2017/2018 Academic year. They will continue to receive funding for the duration of their courses.

Student Loans Company: Staff

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for the future staffing of the Student Loans Company.

Joseph Johnson: Staffing of the Student Loans Company (SLC) will continue in line with its priorities as set by the Secretary of State and the Devolved Administrations. These priorities are confirmed on an annual basis through the Annual Performance and Agreement letters, which are available on the SLC’s website, at: http://www.slc.co.uk/about-us/remit.aspx

Written Question: Government Responses

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to answer Question 54886, tabled on 24 November 2016 by the hon. Member for Copeland.

Nick Gibb: Parliamentary question 54886 was answered on 08 December 2016.

Young People: Employment Schemes

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what underspends there have been on the Youth Contract scheme in each of the last four years; and how any such underspends have been (a) allocated and (b) published.

Edward Timpson: The Youth Contract Scheme funding between April 2012 and March 2015 was split across Government including the Department for Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department for Work and Pensions. Funding ended in March 2015. DWP received further funding to deliver the Youth Offer between April 2015 and March 2017.When the Youth Contract operated, the Department for Education was responsible for the Youth Contract for 16 and 17 year olds. This operated over the four financial years 2012-13 to 2015-16. The Youth Contract for 16 and 17 year olds was designed to provide additional support to young people who were classified as not being in education, employment or training (NEET) and who had low levels of attainment.Treasury allocated £42m for delivery of this element of the Youth Contract (the Education Funding Agency (EFA) managed strand at £39.01m and the Core Cities Strand at £2.983m) in each of the financial years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15. Any underspend at the end of each financial year, against the EFA managed strand of the Youth Contract, was returned to Treasury or carried forward to future years to meet expected future demand.To ensure continued funding of the EFA managed Youth Contract programme in the 2015-16 financial year, the Department for Education (DfE) allocated £15.9m. At this stage the DfE is unable to provide financial spend on the Youth Contract for the 2015-16 financial year as our accounts haven’t been finalised as yet.The table below provides the financial spend on delivery of the EFA managed and Core Cities strands of the Youth Contract for 16 and 17 year olds for the financial years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 against the overall budget allocated by Treasury and the Department for Education in each of these financial years. Financial yearBudget allocated by Treasury Financial spend (EFA and Core Cities) as quoted in published accounts2012-13 (Sept 12 to Mar 13)£42m£6,986,0002013-14£42m£11,399,0002014-15£42m + £12m carried forward from underspend in the 2013-14 FY£23,043,0002015-16£15.9m (DfE allocation)Not yet available The EFA managed programme had targeted eligibility requirements of recruiting only those disengaged and disadvantaged young people NEET with low attainment levels. In addition, the payment structure for the EFA managed strand of the programme was based on a ‘payment by results’ model with contractors delivering the programme being paid only for what they delivered. The amount spent against the available budget is indicative of the programme’s targeted eligibility criteria and the payment by results methodology. The Government does not publish which particular programmes over/underspend; we instead publish what departments estimated their spending would be against their actual out-turns – for instance in PESA reports.

Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the consultation on accelerated courses and switching university or degree is due to report; and whether there will be a debate in the House on the findings of that consultation.

Joseph Johnson: The Government ran a call for evidence on accelerated courses and switching university or degree over the summer of 2016. We are planning to publish a summary of the key findings in due course.Decisions with respect to the timing of a debate are for the business managers in the House of Commons.

Apprentices: Taxation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with charities on the financial effect of the apprenticeship levy.

Robert Halfon: Throughout the development of the new apprenticeship funding policy, we have engaged with large numbers of employers from public, private and third sectors, including charities. All their views have added to the shaping of the policy, particularly between the proposals put out in August and the final policy published in October. Later in December HMRC will be publishing their guidance on the collection of the apprenticeship levy, providing employers with the full picture of how the levy is paid and then how it can be used. We have also published estimates of levy payments by sector, and previous apprenticeship spending by sector: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/545145/Apprenticeships_-expected_levy_and_total_spend_-_Aug_2016.pdf

Ministry of Justice

Security

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 48793, whether her Department requires foreign jurisdictions to meet human rights standards set out in the European Convention on Human Rights before considering the provision of prison and security-related services to them.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We are not involved in, or actively considering, the provision of prison and security-related services for profit overseas at the present time. Were we to be asked to provide such services in the future, it would be on the basis of cost recovery only, and would be conducted fully in line with UK Government human rights policy which is published on the gov.uk website.

Prisoner Escapes

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have (a) escaped and (b) absconded from prison by crime class order in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have (a) escaped and (b) absconded from prison by crime class order; and how many such people have been captured in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have (a) escaped and (b) absconded from category (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) C and (iv) D prisons in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have (a) escaped and (b) absconded from category (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) C and (iv) D prisons; and how many of those prisoners have been captured in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: NOMS takes public protection and escapes from prison extremely seriously. An immediate investigation, independent of the prison, is completed following any escape to determine what went wrong and to learn lessons for the future. The vast majority of those who escape are quickly re-captured by the police and charged and prosecuted.KPI escapes1 from establishment by offence between 2011/12 to 2015/16 are published on gov.uk. The security category of the prison is also provided. Figures for 2010/11 are not published; there was one KPI escape from a Cat B establishment in 2010/11. The prisoner who escaped was serving a sentence for theft. All prisoners who escaped between 2010/11 and 2015/16 have been returned to custody following the incident.Absconds take place only from open (Cat D) prisons. Absconds between 2011/12 and 2015/16 by the main offence of the prisoner at the time of the abscond are published on gov.uk. Figures for 2010/11 are not published and are provided below. Three prisoners who absconded from open prison in 2010/11 were still unlawfully at large on 30 April 2016; all other absconders have been returned to custody. NOTE 1 An escape is deemed to be a KPI escape if (i) the prisoner is at liberty for 15 minutes or more before recapture or (ii) an offence is committed during an escape lasting less than 15 minutes. Absconds by offence1  2010/11 ALL OFFENCES235Violence against the person51Sexual offences2Robbery69Theft offences66Criminal damage and arson3Drug offences20Possession of weapons9Public order offences2Miscellaneous crimes against society5Fraud offences5Summary non-motoring2Summary motoring1Offence not recorded0

Pentonville Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Band 3 to 5 Officers, (b) Operational Support Grade officers and (c) other grades have been employed at HM Prison Pentonville in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on staff in post within HMP Pentonville requested for 31 March from 2010 to 2013 is contained in the attached table. Information for after 2013 onwards is published in the NOMS Workforce Statistics Bulletin available on the gov.uk website.NOMS Staff in Post By Grade at HMP Pentonville 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2013 31-Mar-201031-Mar-201131-Mar-201231-Mar-2013Band 3-5 Officers378362347341Band 2 / Operational Support88827671Other grades121111113108Total588555536520

Prisoners: Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of suicides which took place in prisons were by people who were not on the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork programme in prison in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process is used to provide multi-disciplinary case management for prisoners assessed as being at risk of self-harm or suicide.Self-inflicted deaths1 where prisoners were not on an open ACCT2, England and Wales, 2010 to 2015 20102011201220132014201520163Self-inflicted deaths where prisoners were not on an open ACCTNumber45394149595555Proportion78%67%67%64%66%61%62%If a prisoner was not subject to the ACCT (Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork) process at the time of the incident that resulted in death then the prisoner would be described as not being on an open ACCT.Due to the number of deaths that remain unclassified (awaiting further information) in recent year(s), considerable caution should be used when comparing with earlier periods.(3) Data up to 30th September only

Immigration: Appeals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications were made to her Department to remit or reduce fees in exceptional circumstances under Article 7 of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) Fees Order 2011 in each year from 2011 to 2016; and how many of those applications were granted in each such year.

Sir Oliver Heald: The cost of running our courts and tribunals is unsustainably high. It is absolutely right that those using the system, who can afford it, should pay more to relieve this burden. We make no exception for immigration and asylum cases and these appellants will continue to pay a fee. However, we have suspended the higher fees introduced in October this year. The Lord Chancellor’s exceptional power to reduce or remit fees will remain in place, along with exemption and waiver arrangements in particular for those who cannot afford to pay. Our management information system does not collate data on unsuccessful applications for exceptional fee remissions. The number of applications granted since fees were introduced for proceedings in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in December 2011 are set out below: Date (period)  Applications Granted19.12.2011 to 31.03.2012601.04.2012 - 31.03.20137101.04.2013 to 31.03.201414801.04.2014 to 31.03.201518301.04.2015 to 31.03.2016314Total722 This information covers up to the last full year for which information is available.

Immigration: Appeals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the racial and ethnic composition of tribunal users in each of the chambers of the First-tier Tribunal in each of the last three years.

Sir Oliver Heald: This information is available on gov.uk.

Courts: Appeals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals or applications were brought (a) in each of the two years before the increase and (b) in each of the two years after the increase for each court or tribunal that has experienced a fee rise of more than 100 per cent in a single increase in the last five years.

Sir Oliver Heald: Our courts and tribunals play a critical role in our society and it is vital we preserve the principle of access to justice by providing a properly funded service.It is right that those who use the court and tribunal system should pay more to relieve the burden on the taxpayer. At every stage we have sought to protect the most vulnerable by ensuring that a system of fee remissions and exemptions is in place for those who cannot afford to pay a fee.The only fees which have seen single increases of more than 100 per cent in the last five years are those payable for money claims of more than £10,000 brought in the civil courts. Those fees were increased in March 2015. The information relating to application volumes is below:Year2013/142014/152015/16County Court Money Claims74,49775,78865,648The figures in the table include specified money claims worth more than £10,000 and unspecified money claims worth more than £15,000. Unspecified money claims are categorised in three ways: under £15,000, between £15,000 and £50,000 and over £50,000, therefore it is not possible to generate a precise breakdown of unspecified money claims worth more than £10,000.

Courts: Fees and Charges

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts have fees set at cost recovery levels.

Sir Oliver Heald: Our courts and tribunals play a critical role in our society and it is vital we preserve the principle of access to justice by providing a properly funded service.It is right that those who use the court and tribunal system should pay more to relieve the burden on the taxpayer.At every stage we have sought to protect the most vulnerable by ensuring that a system of fee remissions and exemptions is in place for those who cannot afford to pay a fee.In the civil courts the fees for issuing money claims worth less than £10,000 and the hearing fees in small claims are set at cost recovery levels and in the family courts the fees for public law family proceedings, care and supervision orders, are at cost recovery levels. Additionally, applications for a grant of probate are also currently set at cost recovery levels.

Ministry of Justice: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contribution of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Environmental Audit Committee on 25 October 2016, Question 332, what proportion of existing EU legislation within the policy remit of her Department cannot immediately be brought into UK law upon the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and ensure a functioning statute book on the day we leave the EU. This ‘Great Repeal Bill’ will end the authority of EU law and return power to the UK. The Bill will convert existing European Union law into domestic law, wherever practical and in that context all relevant legislation is currently being identified and assessed.

Prison Officers Association

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her oral contribution of 15 November 2016, Official Report, column 127, on meetings with the Prison Officers Association, what meeting she has (a) chaired and (b) attended with national representatives of the Prison Officers Association since 14 July 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Secretary of State has met with members of the Prison Officers Association (POA) National Executive Committee on three occasions since 14 July 2016. The meetings did not require a chair due to the small number of people in attendance.

Money Claim Online

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons it is not possible to make a (a) non-fixed monetary amount and (b) personal injury claim using the Money Claim Online website.

Sir Oliver Heald: Money Claim Online was developed to provide an online service for specified (fixed) money claims which constitute the largest proportion of money claims issued. Personal injury claims are usually made for an unspecified amount of money.

Gender Recognition: Prosecutions

Mrs Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 12 of the Government response to the First Report from the Women and Equalities Committee, Session 2015-16, on Transgender Equality, cm 9301, published in July 2016, what progress her Department has made on ascertaining why there have not been any prosecutions under section 22 of the Gender Recognition Act 2014.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council are currently looking into the handling of complaints arising from section 22 of the Gender Recognition Act, and will provide an update in due course.

Prisoners

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the prison population.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is committed to transforming our prison estate to ensure prisons are safe, get offenders off drugs and into education and work. We will also improve the effectiveness of supervision in the community. This will reduce reoffending and the need for prison places.

Ministry of Justice: Billing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of payments by her Department to small businesses are made on time and in accordance with the prompt payment code.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is publically available on gov.uk.

Prisoners

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of causes of the increase in the prison population since 2004.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government published in July 2016 “Story of the Prison Population 1993 – 2016”. This is available on gov.uk.

Prisons: Finance

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 5.17 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how much of the £500 million of extra funding to enable the recruitment of 2,500 extra prison officers and wider reforms will be spent on (a) recruitment costs, (b) salaries, (c) pensions and (d) wider reforms.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Justice Secretary announced major reforms to the prison system in the Prison Safety and White Paper published on 3 November, to cut reoffending and help reduce crime. As announced at Autumn Statement last month, £100 million annually will be allocated to the Ministry of Justice to implement measures to improve safety in prisons and wider reforms to the whole criminal justice system. We will be investing more than £100 million to recruit, train and pay for an additional 2,500 prison officers, helping us to implement the new dedicated prison officer role.

Ministry of Justice: Personnel Management

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people employed in human resources roles in her Department have (a) prior experience and (b) qualifications in human resources.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Appeals

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions appeal cases for hearing at tribunals have been adjourned as a result of the Department for Work and Pensions not providing sufficient information on universal credit in each of the last two years.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prisons: Vandalism

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of the offence of throwing any article or substance into a prison without authorisation since that offence came into force; and how many such people have received the maximum sentence for that offence.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This information is available on gov.uk.

Survivors Trust

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding her Department provided to the Survivors Trust in each year since 2009-10; and if she will publish all files related to that funding allocation held by her Department.

Dr Phillip Lee: We are committed to ensuring that victims get the support they need to cope with and, where possible, recover from crime. We have protected the overall level of funding for victims for five years and have allocated funding of nearly £100m in 2016/17 to fund crucial support services. For 2017/18 we have protected funding of over £6.4 million to 86 female rape support centres across England and Wales.The Survivors Trust is one of two umbrella organisations representing the rape and sexual violence sector, the other being Rape Crisis England & Wales. Organisations receiving funding from my department are members of one or both organisations.Funding provided directly to The Survivors Trust 2011-16 principally relates to work to support the setting up of new female rape support centres. In 2016-17 no funding was provided to The Survivors Trust as the set up period for the new centres has been completed. All funding goes directly to rape support centres.The table below shows the funding provided by my department to The Survivors Trust from 2009-10 to date:2009-10£02010-11£237,3932011-12£162,550.452012-13£339,3402013-14£3622014-15£101,8592015-16£149,6292016-17£0I will ask my officials to review information held in relation to this allocation with the view to publication where it is appropriate to do so, and I will write to you further on this point in due course.

Survivors (Hull and East Riding)

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding her Department provided to Survivors (Hull and East Riding) in each year since 2009-10; and if she will publish all files related to that funding allocation held by her Department.

Dr Phillip Lee: We are committed to ensuring that victims get the support they need to cope with and, where possible, recover from crime. We have protected the overall level of funding for victims for five years and have allocated funding of nearly £100m in 2016/17 to fund crucial support services. For 2017/18 we have protected funding of over £6.4 million to 86 female rape support centres across England and Wales.The table below shows the funding provided by my department to Survivors Hull & East Riding from 2009-10 to date:2009-10£02010-11£02011-12£30,0002012-13£30,0002013-14£30,0002014-15£67,500 *2015-16£45,0002016-17£63,000 *** includes 15 months funding of £22,500 to support child sexual abuse victims between January 2015 and March 2016 inclusive.** includes 12 months funding of £18,000 to support child sexual abuse victims between April 2016 and March 2017 inclusive.I will ask my officials to review information held in relation to this allocation with the view to publication where it is appropriate to do so, and I will write to you further on this point in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Army Foundation College

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints about inappropriate relationships or conduct were made by (a) recruits and (b) parents of recruits about training staff at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate in each of the last 15 years; whether disciplinary proceedings were instigated in each such case; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Records of allegations of inappropriate relationships or conduct are set out in the table below. This information has been gathered from the Joint Personnel Administration system, using appropriate search criteria. It includes cases involving: Selling of cigarettes to Junior Soldiers; Ill-treatment of a subordinate; Violent offences (e.g. Common Assault/Battery, ABH); and Fraternising/Inappropriate Relationship with a Junior Soldier. No information is available prior to 2006. None of these cases below can be identified as having been reported by a parent. Year Incident(s) ReportedNo. of cases*No. of cases where Disciplinary Action has been taken No. of cases which were DiscontinuedNo. of cases where outcome has not been recorded No. of cases which are on-going.2006~~0002007000002008~~0~02009~~0~0201055000201155000201255~002013105~00201410~~052015205~0102016~000~Notes* Please note that one case may include more than one incident.Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5 in accordance with Government Statistical convention.~ denotes less than 5, in order to reduce the possible inadvertent disclosure of individual identities.

Army Foundation College

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what regulations are in place concerning sexual relationships between staff and recruits at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate; how such regulations are enforced; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Permanent Staff at Army Foundation College, Harrogate are prohibited from entering into any relationship with recruits or trainees on or off duty which is not required to accomplish training. Leadership and Command training reinforces this policy and Junior Soldiers receive training on appropriate relationships. All Permanent Staff are to read the regulations every six months, understand and abide by them and ensure that all personal conduct is beyond reproach. All personnel are to report any violations of this policy to their immediate superior.

Army Foundation College

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) personnel and (b) training staff based at Army Foundation College, Harrogate in each of the last 15 years had prior convictions for (i) violent and (ii) sexual offences; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All posts at Army Foundation College, Harrogate require Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

Army Foundation College

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) training and (b) qualifications welfare staff at the Army Foundation College, Harrogate have in identifying signs of sexual abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: On arrival at Army Foundation College (AFC), Harrogate all Permanent Staff complete the North Yorkshire Children's Board Level 1 Safeguarding training and also receive Level 2 training, delivered by the North Yorkshire Local Authority as part of their induction course. The unit Welfare Officer is also a member of the Harrogate and Craven Children's Safeguarding Strategy Group. In addition, all Chaplains receive annual Chaplaincy safeguarding training by the Army Recruiting and Training Division and all medical staff are required to complete Level 3 Safeguarding training.The Defence Community Police Officer at AFC delivers a Child Sexual Exploitation brief to all new intakes within the first six weeks of training with a further brief at the end of the term. A brief is also delivered about the risks of social media.

Red Snapper Group

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2016 to Question 52667, if he will provide a breakdown of expenses claimed by the 127 investigators employed by Red Snapper.

Mike Penning: The breakdown of expenses, by Financial Year (FY) claimed by the 127 investigators employed by Red Snapper is as follows:First contract period (February 2013 - January 2016):FY 2013-14 - £754,226FY 2014-15 - £1,308,678FY 2015-16 - £857,238Current contract period:FY 2015-16 - £12,170FY 2016-17 - £35,759

Ministry of Defence: Personnel Management

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people employed in human resources roles in his Department have (a) prior experience and (b) qualifications in human resources.

Mark Lancaster: Records of prior Human Resources (HR) experience and qualifications in HR, for people employed in HR roles in the Civil Service, are not held centrally within the Ministry of Defence. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq Historic Allegations Team

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Government's plans are for the number of Iraq Historic Allegations Team investigators when the number of cases of that team is reduced to the planned 60 active investigations in 2017.

Mike Penning: The number of investigators to be employed in the Iraq Historic Allegations Team will be decided by the management of the team in light of the investigative need within the budget agreed by Ministers.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK's capability to deploy (a) the Joint Precision Airdrop System and (b) comparable unmanned equipment for making deliveries from the air.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 December 2016 to the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Patrick Grady) to Question 56104.



56104 - WQnA extract on International Assistance
(Word Document, 14.32 KB)

Astute Class Submarines

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of the Astute class submarines are (a) available for operations, (b) being used for training, (c) preparing to deploy and (d) being refitted.

Harriett Baldwin: Three Astute Class submarines are in service with the Royal Navy: HMS ASTUTE, HMS AMBUSH and HMS ARTFUL.It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our Armed Forces.

Russia: Submarines

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incursions by Russian submarines into UK waters there have been since 1 January 2016; and what the location was of such submarines.

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the previous Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois) on 24 March 2015 to Question 218391 to the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr Coaker).



218391 - WQnA on Territorial Waters
(Word Document, 15.09 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many unpaid internships there are in his Department.

Mark Lancaster: There are no unpaid internships. The Civil Service runs the Summer Diversity Internship Programme, which is a two month placement and is paid. The Civil Service also runs the Early Diversity Internship Programme which is for a week only (and more akin to work experience) - it provides expenses to encourage applications and ensure there is no financial loss.

Defence Equipment and Support

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to increase parliamentary accountability of Defence Equipment and Support.

Harriett Baldwin: Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) became a bespoke trading entity, an arm's length body of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on 1 April 2014. As detailed in the DE&S Framework Document, which sets out the governance arrangements of the organisation, the Secretary of State for Defence is accountable to Parliament for all aspects of DE&S's performance. In addition, the DE&S Chief Executive Officer is designated as an Accounting Officer and is therefore fully accountable to Parliament for the stewardship of DE&S resources.The Framework Document contains more details about these arrangements and is available on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-equipment-and-support-framework-document.

War Widows: Compensation

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005 have been denied compensation.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials of his Department are working on potential options for compensation for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005.

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timescale is for the review of the Government's policy on compensation for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005.

Mark Lancaster: Between 2003 and 2005 a total of 55 War Widows remarried and relinquished their War Widow's pensions. Records between 1996 and 2003 are incomplete but where there are records these show that 97 War Widow's pensions were relinquished during that period. The Department holds no relevant records prior to 1996.I remain sympathetic to the circumstances of this group of widows and officials continue to consider potential options and expect that the financial and legal position will be clarified in the new year. The potential options are being dealt with by the policy team that has responsibility for compensation schemes.Recent meetings on the subject of reinstatement of War Widow's pensions have included my meeting with Mrs Wills BEM, Chairman of the War Widow's Association of Great Britain, and with the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Mr Mulholland). Officials, on my behalf, met with the South East Fermanagh Foundation and Ulster Defence Regiment widows to discuss this issue.

CarillionAmey

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has reimbursed CarillionAmey for the purchase of 3,000 boilers approved by DIO to ensure winter boiler breakdown requirements are met in accordance with key performance indicators; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has not reimbursed CarillionAmey for the purchase of any boilers. The replacement of 3,000 boilers has been directly funded by DIO under a capital works life cycle replacement programme and are scheduled for replacement in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) by March 2017. Approximately 1,000 boilers have already been replaced under this programme.This is in addition to approximately 1,000 boilers being replaced by CarillionAmey as part of the National Housing Prime contract. Boiler replacement is a core service under this contract and thus will be paid for under the normal contractual arrangements.By the end of Financial Year 2016-2017 approximately 5,585 SFA boilers will have been replaced in total under the above works.In line with previous years, DIO is monitoring closely the heating situation within SFA during the winter months to ensure any potential problems are identified and resolved quickly.

RFA Tiderace

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who is the designated patron of RFA Tiderace.

Harriett Baldwin: The Naval Service equivalent tradition of patronage is a Lady Sponsor. The Lady Sponsor for RFA TIDERACE is Mrs Anita Lister.

Antiship Missiles

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the in-service date for the GWS 60 Harpoon beyond 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: The Harpoon system currently carried by the Royal Navy will reach its out of service date in 2018.As part of a process of continuously reviewing the capabilities required to deliver their tasking, the Royal Navy is working alongside other areas of the Ministry of Defence to consider options for a Harpoon replacement.I am withholding further detail as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Army: GCSE

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the British Army began its scoping study into GCSE provision for trainees; when it plans for the findings of that study to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of British Army trainees aged under 18 at (a) ATC Pirbright and (b) ITC Catterick achieved Functional Skills qualifications in English and mathematics during their training there; and at what levels those trainees achieved those qualifications.

Mark Lancaster: The Army provides excellent employment opportunities across the United Kingdom. It is Britain’s biggest provider of apprenticeships and offers chances not just for a job, but for a career and ongoing training supporting Her Majesty’s Government’s social mobility agenda. All Army training establishments support personnel in gaining basic Functional Skills (FS) in literacy and numeracy in preparation for further training, where over 95% receive nationally recognised apprenticeship training and as part of that complete literacy and numeracy FS up to Level 2. Many trainees at Army Training Centre (ATC) Pirbright and Infantry Training Centre (ITC) Catterick already hold FS qualifications on arrival and, since 2016, these individuals will undertake a BTEC in Public Services. The table below shows the details of FS qualifications in English and Mathematics obtained by Army Trainees 18 and under at ITC Catterick in the last three years:  EnglishMathematics Entry Level 3Level 1Entry Level 3Level 12013~~~~20141005~2015100100  Over the same period at ATC Pirbright less than 5 FS qualifications in English were achieved at Entry Level 3 by a trainee aged 18 or under. The Army has completed some initial work to consider the provision of GCSE resits for trainees and options for optimising their delivery and the balance with other training coursesprovided, such as apprenticeships and BTECs. Consideration of these options is being taken forward as part of a broader Junior Entry Review due to report in 2017. Please note that numbers have been rounded according to Ministry of Defence Disclosure Control and Rounding Policy to the nearest 5. ~ denotes less than 5. These figures are single service estimates only and are not official statistics. Rounding is necessary as a means of disclosure control and for the preservation of anonymity

Russia

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to deter Russian expansion in eastern Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the UK is taking to defend NATO's eastern flank.

Sir Michael Fallon: The UK is one of four nations leading NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence, providing the Framework Battalion in Estonia and a reconnaissance squadron in Poland, joining the US-led force there. These defensive but combat-capable forces deliver reassurance to our Allies and deterrence against Russian belligerence. Next year we are deploying Typhoon aircraft to Romania to deliver Southern Air Policing, and will lead NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.

Defence: Expenditure

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the commitment to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defence.

Harriett Baldwin: Ministers regularly raise the two per cent commitment during discussions with our NATO Allies.For example, the Secretary of State was in Brussels last month and he reminded his counterparts that Britain is committed to spending two per cent of our GDP on defence every year of this decade and encouraged them to meet the commitment they all made at the Wales Summit in 2014.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for the Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft to be brought into operational service.

Harriett Baldwin: The first UK Poseidon P-8A aircraft will be delivered in 2019, when it will be subject to trials in America. It is anticipated that this aircraft will begin to operate from RAF Lossiemouth in 2020.

Defence Equipment: Innovation

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage innovation by defence suppliers.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Nigel Huddleston).

RAF Odiham

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to improve accommodation at RAF Odiham in 2017.

Mark Lancaster: Funding has been approved for the refurbishment of the five barrack blocks at RAF Odiham in the poorest condition. This work is due to commence in April 2017 with a completion date in financial year 2021-22.

Syria: Military Aid

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is providing to the UN and other aid agencies to deliver humanitarian aid to people in Aleppo.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence continues to work with partners across Government and the United Nations to explore options to get aid into Aleppo. The Government also used its contacts with Armed Opposition Groups to persuade them to accept the UN’s 4-point plan unconditionally. The regime needs to do likewise but is refusing to do so because they are using starvation and siege as weapons of war.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the public purse of childcare costs being excluded from household income for the purposes of calculating entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The information is not available regarding housing benefit. Regarding council tax benefit, since April 2013 responsibility for council tax support has been devolved to local authorities.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of government spend on the childcare costs element of universal credit in each of the next five years.

Damian Hinds: Estimated government spend on childcare costs within Universal Credit (rounded to nearest £100 Million); Ann. cost 17/18Ann. cost 18/19Ann. cost 19/20Ann. cost 20/21Ann. cost 21/22£100m£300m£800m£1200m£1500m * Figures derived from internal DWP data models

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55470, if he will (a) make it his Department's policy to make regular contact with people who are subject to a benefit sanction in order to discern whether they have used food banks at any time over the duration of the sanction, (b) make it his Department's policy to offer assistance with an application for a hardship payment to individuals who are identified as food bank users and (c) regularly publish data related to the use of food banks by people subject to benefit sanctions.

Damian Hinds: As part of providing on-going employment-related support, work coaches maintain contact with claimants who have been sanctioned. They also offer information about how to challenge a sanction decision and about the availability and application process for hardship payments. Usage of any other form of assistance is not needed to assess a person’s ongoing entitlement to benefit and so we do not need to collect this information. Claimants are provided with information about hardship payments at the point at which a referral is made to a decision maker and also following the application of a sanction. This includes assistance, if required, with applying for a hardship payment. This support is provided to all claimants, regardless of whether individual’s volunteer information on assistance received from another source. A person does not need to disclose whether they have used any particular source of assistance, in order to qualify for hardship payments.

Universal Credit

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55887, how many full-time equivalent members of staff his Department has employed to work on the design and implementation of universal credit in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14, (e) 2014-15 and (f) 2015-16.

Damian Hinds: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 12 December 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Data on reports of pension scams is collected via Action Fraud. However, the government, working with the City of London Police and other partners as part of Project Bloom, is aware that many scams in the UK, and the true extent of associated losses, go un-reported. The true extent of losses may also only become apparent some time after the initial report and increases in fraud reports could be due to a number of factors, for example increased industry reporting or rising awareness amongst the public due to high profile information campaigns. The Government takes the issue of pension scams very seriously, which is why, on 5 December 2016 we launched a public consultation on a package of measures aimed at tackling pension scams. This included a proposed definition of pension fraud to allow better monitoring and data collection on pension scams. The Government will continue to work closely with the City of London Police and other Project Bloom partners to help local forces and other agencies raise awareness on pension scams and encourage more people to report scamming activity and losses. The table below breaks down the location of the victim of reported pension scams collated by Action Fraud over the last two financial years. Location of victims of reported pension scamsFinancial year 2014/15Financial year 2015/16 to date Scotland2717Rest of the UK921446This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Richard Harrington: Data on reports of pension scams is collected via Action Fraud. However, the government, working with the City of London Police and other partners as part of Project Bloom, is aware that many scams in the UK, and the true extent of associated losses, go un-reported. The true extent of losses may also only become apparent some time after the initial report and increases in fraud reports could be due to a number of factors, for example increased industry reporting or rising awareness amongst the public due to high profile information campaigns. The Government takes the issue of pension scams very seriously, which is why, on 5 December 2016 we launched a public consultation on a package of measures aimed at tackling pension scams. This included a proposed definition of pension fraud to allow better monitoring and data collection on pension scams. The Government will continue to work closely with the City of London Police and other Project Bloom partners to help local forces and other agencies raise awareness on pension scams and encourage more people to report scamming activity and losses. The table below breaks down the location of the victim of reported pension scams collated by Action Fraud over the last two financial years. Location of victims of reported pension scamsFinancial year 2014/15Financial year 2015/16 to date Scotland2717Rest of the UK921446This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Motability

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the UK have had their eligibility for the motability scheme revoked before (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) final appeal stage since April 2013.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department does not have verified data on the number of DLA higher-rate mobility claimants who were reassessed for PIP and were not awarded enhanced-rate PIP mobility. We intend to provide more detailed breakdowns of DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes in due course. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. However, breakdowns of PIP reassessment claims by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) are published online at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Breakdowns of PIP reassessment claims in payment by mobility award type (i.e. enhanced mobility, standard mobility or daily living award only) are available in the same place.

Impact on Employment Outcomes of Drug or Alcohol Addiction and Obesity Independent Review

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of the independent review into drug and alcohol addiction, and obesity; effects on employment outcomes, the report from which was published on 5 December 2016.

Penny Mordaunt: The total direct cost of the independent review into drug and alcohol addiction, and obesity came to around £8000, including Dame Carol Black’s reasonable expenses and printing costs. In addition, a core team of seven civil servants supported the review, These costs were met through existing DWP resources.

Bereavement Benefits

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will harmonise the eligibility rules for civilian and non-civilian widows entitlement to Bereaved Parents Allowance if a widower decides to (a) remarry and (b) enter a civil partnership.

Caroline Nokes: Entitlement to Widowed Parent's Allowance ceases if a surviving spouse or civil partner remarries, forms a civil partnership or begins living with someone in a relationship akin to marriage or a civil partnership. This is the same for civilian and non-civilian widows and widowers.

Marriage

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to promote Marriage Week in February 2017.

Caroline Nokes: This government believes we cannot afford to overlook the importance of the family as the basic building block upon which we build a successful economy and a stable society. While my department has no plans to promote Marriage Week we continue to support policies like the Marriage Tax Allowance which recognise the position and significance of marriage within society.

Universal Credit

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55851, on universal credit, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of reductions to universal credit on the number of children in (a) relative and (b) absolute child poverty in each year to 2020.

Damian Hinds: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 06 December 2016 to UIN 55851

Universal Credit: Appeals

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient information relating to claimants is provided for appeal cases for hearing at tribunals relating to universal credit.

Penny Mordaunt: In relation to the claimant themselves, the Secretary of State will provide the tribunal with an appeal response. This sets out in detail what decision was made; why it was made, including the evidence and law considered; and why the application for Mandatory Reconsideration was unsuccessful, including the evidence and law considered at that stage. The response is also given to the claimant so that they can prepare for the hearing accordingly. Information about this is in the Universal Credit link on GOV.UK. In relation to the hearing itself, all relevant appeals information is contained in the forms and leaflet issued by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service - SSCS1 and SSCS1A. The department sign posts UC appellants to the relevant GOV.UK link via its Mandatory Reconsideration Notice – the decision notice which contains the right of appeal and which is sent to all UC claimants whose benefit decision carries the right of appeal.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support vulnerable claimants with mental health issues sanctioned during the Christmas period when job centres are closed.

Damian Hinds: The application of conditionality remains throughout the duration of a claim and there is no procedural change or specific sanction easement for any normal non-working days such as weekends, bank holidays or other national holidays. Claimants with mental health conditions will not be sanctioned if they have a cognitive impairment affecting their ability to understand the conditionality requirements placed upon them. In preparation for Christmas, benefit payments are advanced to reduce the impact on claimants. Any decision to apply a sanction to any benefit recipient just before the start of the Christmas period will not take effect until a later payment period and with the claimant being given due notice and the opportunity to claim hardship.

Disability Living Allowance: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Garston and Halewood constituency who were in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) have had their application for personal independence payment (PIP) (a) refused completely and (b) approved at a lower level of need than the DLA claim it superseded in each year since the introduction of PIP as a replacement for DLA began.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Garston and Halewood constituency have had their  disability living allowance claims converted to personal independence payments in each year since those payments were introduced

Penny Mordaunt: The available data on clearances of claims by type (i.e. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), by a range of breakdowns including whether they were new claimants or Disability Living Allowance to PIP reassessment claimants and to Parliamentary constituency level, is available from Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.The Department intends to provide more detailed breakdowns of DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes in due course. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

Housing Benefit: Hostels

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2016 to Question 51735, on housing benefit: hotels, whether the reference in that Answer to current levels means real terms levels or current cash levels.

Caroline Nokes: From 1 April 2019, we will bring in a new funding model which will ensure that supported housing continues to be funded at the same level it would have otherwise been in 2019/20, taking account of our plans on social rents.

Motability: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Garston and Halewood constituency have had a Motability vehicle in each year since 2010.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department does not have data available on the numbers who have leased a vehicle under the Motability scheme by year and parliamentary constituency. Whilst the Department is responsible for the civilian disability benefits that passport to Motability, DLA and PIP, Motability is an independent organisation responsible for collecting its own management information.

Disability Living Allowance: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Garston and Halewood constituency have been in receipt of disability living allowance each year since 2010.

Penny Mordaunt: Data on the number of claimants in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, by a range of regional breakdowns, is available from the DWP Tabulation Tool: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html.

Work Capability Assessment: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of working age in Garston and Halewood constituency have had a work capability assessment in each year since 2010; and how many of those people have been passed fit for work and placed (a)  on jobseeker's allowance, (b) in a work-related activity group and (c) in the support group.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Information available on outcomes following an Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment is published and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the (a) lowest, (b) average and (c) largest loss of household income under the lower benefit cap for families (i) in receipt of universal credit and (ii) in receipt of legacy benefits.

Caroline Nokes: The average reduction to Housing Benefit under the lower cap is estimated to be £60 per week in 2016/17 with around 500 households losing less than 50p per week and around 30 households losing more than £500 per week. This represents the overall reduction due to the benefit cap rather than the additional reduction due to the lower cap. These estimates focus on the benefit cap continuing to be applied under Housing Benefit, information on Universal Credit is not available. Notes:Estimates assume no behavioural responses - any behavioural responses to the lower cap, such as claimants moving into employment, may cause estimates to change.The methodology used to estimate the reduction due to the cap is consistent with that described in the latest impact assessment published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap

Pensions: Fraud

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2016 to Question 55219, for what reason he has not made an assessment of trends in the incidence of pension fraud in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK since the introduction of the pension freedoms announced in the Budget 2014.

Richard Harrington: Data on reports of pension scams is collected via Action Fraud. However, the government, working with the City of London Police and other partners as part of Project Bloom, is aware that many scams in the UK, and the true extent of associated losses, go un-reported. The true extent of losses may also only become apparent some time after the initial report and increases in fraud reports could be due to a number of factors, for example increased industry reporting or rising awareness amongst the public due to high profile information campaigns. The Government takes the issue of pension scams very seriously, which is why, on 5 December 2016 we launched a public consultation on a package of measures aimed at tackling pension scams. This included a proposed definition of pension fraud to allow better monitoring and data collection on pension scams. The Government will continue to work closely with the City of London Police and other Project Bloom partners to help local forces and other agencies raise awareness on pension scams and encourage more people to report scamming activity and losses. The table below breaks down the location of the victim of reported pension scams collated by Action Fraud over the last two financial years. Location of victims of reported pension scamsFinancial year 2014/15Financial year 2015/16 to date Scotland2717Rest of the UK921446

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Scotland claiming (a) disability living allowance and (b) carer's  allowance have been affected by the 84-day rule in each of the last three years.

Penny Mordaunt: We estimate that at any point in time fewer than 10 individuals in Scotland would have been affected by the 84 day hospital suspension rule in Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Similarly, the number of Carers affected in Scotland is also estimated to have been fewer than 10 at any point in time. The Department has amended the DLA regulations so that children in receipt of DLA who enter hospital no longer have their payments suspended if their hospital stay exceeds 84 days. Similar changes have also been made in the Personal Independence Payment regulations, meaning that anyone who enters hospital before their 18th birthday no longer has their payments suspended as a result of their hospital stay. Carers of children in hospital can continue to receive Carer’s Allowance after the 84 day point providing they meet the Carer’s Allowance conditions, including providing care for at least 35 hours a week.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds of Prey: Conservation

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many pairs of hen harriers nested in the Bowland Fells and North Pennine Moors special protection areas for birds in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 November 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The number of pairs of hen harriers that nested in the Bowland Fells and North Pennine Moors special protection areas (SPAs) are set out below:   Bowland Fells SPANorth Pennine Moors SPA2012002013022014202015101201601

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The number of pairs of hen harriers that nested in the Bowland Fells and North Pennine Moors special protection areas (SPAs) are set out below:   Bowland Fells SPANorth Pennine Moors SPA2012002013022014202015101201601

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Personnel Management

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people employed in human resources roles in her Department have (a) prior experience and (b) qualifications in human resources.

George Eustice: (a) Records of prior Human Resource experience for people employed in human resources roles in the Civil Service are not held centrally within Defra. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.(b) There are a total of 35 Human Resource staff in Defra who hold a Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) Human resource qualification and a further seven staff are currently studying for a CIPD Human Resource qualification. Details of other qualifications in human resources are not centrally held and the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Diesel Engines: Carbon Emissions

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of proposals to limit emissions from diesel generators on the bio power sector.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No specific assessment has been made of the potential effect of these proposals on the bio power sector but we are seeking further information on their impact through the consultation.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons Natural England requires a breakdown of spending from companies set up by farmers to carry out trial badger culls.

George Eustice: The Defra Guidance to Natural England published in January 2016 requires that applicants must have arrangements in place to deposit sufficient funds in a bank to cover the total cost of a four-year cull, plus a contingency sum of 25%. Applicants will need to provide evidence to support the cost estimates and confirmation from the bank that the deposit has been made. This is to ensure that Natural England are able to verify that cull companies have the financial resources required to complete effective culls before authorising them to proceed. Insufficient funds could result in the culls not being completed, with the consequence of disease control benefits not being realised.

Furs: Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) type of animal furs and skins which were seized after being imported illegally in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) do not hold this data. APHA are a Regulatory body and have no statutory powers to seize illegally imported consignments which would fall to the Local Authority.

Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of import permits granted in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: YearLicences Issued201323332014199820152247  The figures above relate to licences/authorisations issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) Centre for International Trade – Imports. Trade from the EU in furs/skins does not require APHA documentation and can move on commercial documentation. Our data retention policy stipulates that we only hold three years’ worth of data hence why we have not provided data for five years as requested.

Furs: Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) type of animal furs and skins which were imported for sale in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is not able to specify the number / reason for the import i.e. onward sale or further processing etc. but can supply type and weight:Raw furskins (including heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use) DateWeight20110201244 kilos20130201455 kilos20157 kilos Hides and Skins  DateWeight2011947564 kilos2012675228.8 kilos201361011 kilos2014514835.4 kilos201581864 kilos

Dairy Products: Labelling

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to introduce food labelling for pasture-based milk and dairy products.

George Eustice: Defra has no plans to introduce mandatory method of production labelling to highlight grass fed or pasture based systems of production, but supports the development of voluntary labelling and accreditation schemes that aim to promote and encourage welfare friendly approaches to farm animal husbandry.

Packaging: Waste

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the proportion of packaging waste which will be recycled or recovered in each of the next three years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The proportion of packaging waste that was recycled or recovered in each year since 2010 was: %201020112012201320142015% recycled60.760.861.464.659.259.1% recovered67.367.169.172.764.165.1  The proportion of packaging waste that will be recycled or recovered in each of the next three years is: %201720182019% recycled6258-6063-67% recovered6763-6558-62

Packaging: Waste

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of packaging waste was recycled or recovered in each year since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The proportion of packaging waste that was recycled or recovered in each year since 2010 was: %201020112012201320142015% recycled60.760.861.464.659.259.1% recovered67.367.169.172.764.165.1  The proportion of packaging waste that will be recycled or recovered in each of the next three years is: %201720182019% recycled6258-6063-67% recovered6763-6558-62

Floods: Insurance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with representatives of the insurance industry on creating a flood insurance scheme for businesses.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I recently met with the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), to discuss its insurance product, which launched this week. The BIBA scheme is expected to provide flood insurance for many small businesses that have struggled to access it to date.

Salmon: Conservation

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the report, Salmon five point approach - restoring salmon in England, published in May 2016.

George Eustice: Good progress is being made on the Five Point Approach to Salmon. The Environment Agency has had a programme team in place since May 2016 and each of the five points has a multi organisation working group to deliver the actions. The England Fisheries Group is providing a strategic steer to the programme.

Milk: Imports

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much liquid milk was imported into the UK in 2015.

George Eustice: According to HMRC trade data, the UK imported 174 thousand tonnes of liquid milk in 2015, approximately two thirds of which was imported from the Irish Republic

Droughts

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the low levels of rainfall in the South of England in the last six months, what discussions she has had with (a) the Environment Agency and (b) water utility companies on drought preparedness and water resilience planning; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Although overall rainfall for November 2016 was above average, prolonged dry weather from July to October has resulted in some rivers, groundwater and surface reservoirs at, or below, normal levels as we approach the end of the year. The Environment Agency is closely monitoring the water resources situation in England, together with water companies, and has been providing regular updates to the Department on the situation. All water companies in England have a statutory requirement to prepare, maintain and revise drought plans and long-term water resources management plans, setting out how they will ensure a secure supply of water. Most companies will consult on revised drought plans next year and their water resources management plans early in 2018. Water companies are currently discussing expectations for their revised plans with the Environment Agency and the Department.

Agriculture: Skilled Workers

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that there is no shortfall in the number of people will adequate skills to take up jobs in agriculture after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The agriculture sector offers a range of exciting careers, including for people with scientific, technical and engineering skills. It is vital that the industry invests in attracting and developing the workforce it needs for the future. We are working closely with industry and the Department for Education to ensure that reforms to apprenticeships and Post-16 Technical Education provide clear pathways into agricultural careers and equip people with the skills businesses need.

Home Office

War Crimes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of suspected war criminals in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has not made such an estimate.

Naturalisation: EEA Nationals

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing the fees for naturalisation applications from EEA nationals as a result of the EU referendum.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We keep all fees under regular review.

Deportation: Appeals

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals lodged between July 2014 and July 2016 on Article 8 grounds against deportation decisions for non-EEA nationals were allowed by the Tribunal under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals were lodged from July 2012 to July 2014 on Article 8 grounds against deportation decisions for non-EEA nationals.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Esher and Walton on 11 November 2016, UIN 44691.

Fraud

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports her Department has received of whaling fraud since 2010; and what estimate the Government has made of the cost of such fraud to UK businesses.

Mr Ben Wallace: This information is not held centrally. All fraud should be reported to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and online crime which is operated by City of London Police.Whaling fraud is also known as CEO fraud. Fraudsters pose as the CEO of a company and send emails to an individual in the finance department requesting an urgent transfer of money to a specific bank account. That bank account is operated by the fraudsters and once the money is received it is moved elsewhere and the account closed.Action Fraud reports that fraudsters use a strong element of social engineering to commit CEO fraud ensuring that the request to transfer funds appears urgent and legitimate. According to Action Fraud the average loss to CEO fraud is £35,000.

Visas: Overseas Students

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2016 to Question 51923, if she will place a copy of her Department's guidance on (a) the genuine student rule and (b) interviewing in support of making final decisions on Points Based System Tier 4 cases in the Library.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Home Office guidance for staff on handling applications made under Tier 4 of the points based system can be accessed online at the following address:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/515465/Tier-_4-_of-the-points-based-system-v36.0.pdf

Borders: Personal Records

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse has been to date of updating the warning index and Semaphore systems.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Break down by years is available at the following link: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/home-office-e-borders-and-successor-programmes/Spend prior to April 2006 is not available due to Departmental changes in the accounting system.

Sexual Offences: Internet

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle crimes connected with the use of dating apps.

Mr Ben Wallace: Cyber Security, including cyber crime, is a top priority threat to national security. Through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), we invested over £90 million under the last Parliament to bolster the law enforcement response, and we are continuing to invest. This Government has committed to transformative investment of £1.9 billion on cyber security over the next five years, including for tackling cyber crime. This year we have published a second five-year National Cyber Security Strategy and established the National Cyber Security Centre which will act as a ‘one stop shop’ for national cyber security.Action Fraud, the national reporting point for fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime, has guidance on its website about Romance Fraud, which can be found at: http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/fraud-az-romance-scams The Government expects social media companies and internet platforms to have robust processes in place and to act promptly when abuse is reported. The Government continues to work closely with social media companies and other relevant actors and experts to make sure they are committed to protecting those who use their platforms.

Counter-terrorism: South Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial resources the Government committed to support the (a) civilian and (b) military components of Operation Temperer in each of the last two years in the South Wales police force area.

Mr Ben Wallace: Operation Temperer is a national contingency plan announced as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review on 23 November 2015 by the, then, Prime Minster, David Cameron. It enables the police to draw on large scale military support in response to a significant terrorist incident. If the need to activate the Operation should arise then Government would meet the associated costs.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Gangmasters Licensing Authority Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 will be laid before the House.

Sarah Newton: The Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority was laid before the House on 8 December and is available via the following link:http://www.parliament.uk/writtenstatements?page=1.

Immigration

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made, or modelling her Department has carried out, of the potential effect of achieving the Government's net migration target on the economy and public finances of (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) the other nations and regions of the UK.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made, or modelling her Department has carried out, of the potential effect of achieving the Government's net migration target on the demographics and migration levels of (a) Scotland and (b) the other nations and regions of the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The independent Migration Advisory Committee is asked to advise on questions relating to the economic impact of migration, including policy interventions intended to contribute to reducing net migration. The MAC's reports are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/migration-advisory-committee

Hate Crime

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55224, how many incidents of hate crime were recorded in 2014-15.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office collect and publish statistics on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police on an annual basis. In 2014/15, the police recorded 52,465 hate crimes in England and Wales. The latest statistical bulletin can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2015-to-2016This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.

Crime: Rural Areas

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce rural crime.

Sarah Newton: Police reform is working and crime has fallen by well over a quarter since 2010, according to the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales. Overall, people in rural areas are two thirds as likely to be the victim of crime as those in urban areas. The election of Police and Crime Commissioners has given communities, including those in rural areas, a strong voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them.

Visas

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions in each month between 1 January 2015 and 30 November 2016 UK Visas and Immigration placed visas in the wrong passports; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that no visas are placed in the wrong passports in future.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office does not hold the specific information in the format requested. To obtain it would involve interrogating local management records, at disproportionate cost.Errors identified in the visa issuing process will be fully investigated and appropriate remedial action will be taken.

Bombings: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2016 to Question 49945, how the police are funding their legal representation in connection with the resumed inquests into the Birmingham pub bombings of November 1974.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Criminal Proceedings: Mental Illness

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51510, on criminal proceedings: mental illness, if she will ensure that appropriate places of safety are extended to people with autism.

Sarah Newton: If a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder appears to be suffering from a mental disorder and is deemed in need of immediate care and control, a police officer may remove that person to a place of safety under sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983. If a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder does not appear to be suffering from a mental disorder and is not in need of care and control, a place of safety as defined in the Mental Health Act 1983 would not be an appropriate environment. In these cases appropriate alternative measures of support should be sought in line with the needs of that individual.

Domestic Violence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the proportion of women affected by domestic abuse; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: In March this year we published a new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, which sets out an ambitious programme of reform, supported by increased funding of £80 million, to make tackling these crimes everybody’s business, ensure victims get the support they need, and bring more perpetrators to justice. We have introduced the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme to allow women to check their partner’s criminal history, introduced Domestic Violence Protection Orders and have criminalised forced marriage. We have also introduced a new domestic abuse offence to capture coercive control and have introduced a new stalking protection order to protect victims of stalking.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to Question 50684, tabled by the hon. Member for North Swindon on 27 October 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The response to the hon. Member's question of 27 October 2016, UIN 50684, was issued on 9 December 2016. I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding.

Domestic Violence

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total amount spent by her Department in each of the last five years on ending domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The previous Government provided £40 million of stable funding for domestic abuse and sexual violence services between 2011 and 2015, equating to £10 million per year and including funding for independent domestic violence advisers, Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference coordinators and national helplines.This funding was extended until April 2016, supplemented by an additional £10 million for refuges, and a £3.5 million fund to boost the provision of domestic violence services including refuges provided by the Department of Communities and Local Government. This funding supports all victims of domestic abuse including those with children.In March 2016 we announced our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy for this Parliament, which sets out an ambitious programme of reform, supported by increased funding of £80 million. This funding includes continuing funding to Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, MARAC Co-ordinators, and national helplines to April 2017.From April 2017 until 2020, local domestic abuse service provision will be supported through the new Home Office VAWG Service Transformation Fund which we announced on 7 December.

Domestic Violence

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the prevalence of domestic violence over the last decade; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) has measured trends in domestic abuse via a self completion module since 2004/05. The use of self-completion allows respondents to feel more at ease when answering questions on sensitive issues such as domestic abuse. The 2015/16 CSEW estimated that 6.1% of adults aged 16 to 59 experienced any form of domestic abuse in the last year, the lowest level since the survey began asking these questions in 2004/05. While recent changes have not been statistically significant, the Office for National Statistics, which has responsibility for the Crime Survey, says that since 2011/12 the underlying trend in domestic abuse prevalence has been downwards.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2016 to Question 49635, on Travellers: caravan sites, what guidance her Department provides to the police on use of their powers to remove Travellers from a site.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2016 to Question 49635, on Travellers: caravan sites, in what circumstances she would not expect the police to use their powers to remove Travellers from an unauthorised site.

Brandon Lewis: The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides powers to local authorities and the police to move travellers from unauthorised encampments if certain criteria are met. The decision on whether the police use these powers is an operational matter. The police must judge each case on its own merits taking into account the Human Rights Act and their Public Sector Equality Duty, while also considering safeguard and practicality issues. Government guidance on dealing with unauthorised encampments was issued jointly by the Department of Communities and Local Government, Home Office and the Ministry of Justice in March 2015. This was sent to council leaders and the police, highlighting the range of powers available when dealing with illegal and unauthorised encampments. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dealing-with-illegal-and-unauthorised-encampments

Domestic Violence

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on evaluation of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) was rolled out across all 43 police forces in England and Wales from 8 March 2014. An evaluation was published on 8 March 2016 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-violence-disclosure-scheme-assessment-of-national-roll-outOn 7 December 2016 the Government published updated guidance on the DVDS to provide greater clarity on the legal and common law powers of the police to make disclosures in order to protect the public. The guidance provides an updated definition of domestic violence to include controlling and coercive behaviour.

Domestic Violence

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants are working on the Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2016-20; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy 2016-2020 is a cross-Government strategy recognising that tackling these crimes is everybody’s business. The VAWG Strategy is a cross-Departmental strategy which sets out an ambitious programme of reform, supported by increased funding of £80 million over the Parliament, to make tackling these crimes everybody’s business, ensure victims get the support they need and to bring more perpetrators to justice. There are 14.3 staff (full-time equivalent) working on the Strategy in the Home Office. However as the Strategy makes clear, the strategic aims of our VAWG work – to increase reporting of often hidden crimes, overhaul the criminal justice response to vulnerable victims and bring more perpetrators to justice – complements, and will be supported by, wider Government work to tackle modern slavery, prevent child sexual abuse and protect girls from exploitation by gangs.

Asylum: Hostels

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which (a) local authority areas and (b) Parliamentary constituencies asylum hostels are located.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are currently seven permanent Initial Accommodation Centres located across the United Kingdom in the cities of Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, London, Wakefield and Glasgow.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the time taken to ratify the Istanbul Convention on women who have experienced domestic, sexual, emotional and financial violence in the last four years.

Sarah Newton: The Coalition Government signed the Istanbul Convention in 2012 to show its strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), and this Government remains absolutely committed to ratifying it. Given that in most respects measures already in place to protect women and girls from violence comply with, or go further, than the Convention requires, time taken to ratify the Convention has not impacted on women who experience violence and abuse. Our cross-Government VAWG strategy sets out our ongoing commitment to tackling these crimes, and is underpinned by increased funding of £80 million. The Government has already taken extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) for female genital mutilation and forced marriage, but before the Convention is ratified we need to take ETJ over a range of other offences. We will seek to legislate when the approach to implementing ETJ is agreed and Parliamentary time allows.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Contracts

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contracts to private companies HM Revenue and Customs has awarded in the last five years; and to which companies those contracts were awarded.

Jane Ellison: Records of contracts awarded in the last 5 years are not held in such a way as to be able to identify those awarded specifically to private companies. Given the number of individual contract awards made over a 5-year period, the requested information is not available except at disproportionate cost. In line with the government transparency agenda, HM Revenue and Customs publishes contract opportunities over £10,000 and contract award information in the government on-line portal ‘Contracts Finder’ (available at https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder) as well as in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) via Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) (available at http://ted.europa.eu/TED/main/HomePage.do).

Revenue and Customs: Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of HM Revenue and Customs centre closures on access to services in Welsh.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) remains committed to providing services in Welsh for its Welsh speaking customers and maintaining the high quality of these services in the future. HMRC will continue to have a Welsh Language Customer Services Team based in Wales.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the reported dash for cash policy relating to senior managers at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Simon Kirby: The allegations relating to the actions of Royal Bank of Scotland’s Global Restructuring Group are being investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority. In November this year the FCA released the summary findings of the skilled person’s report it commissioned to investigate these allegations. The FCA is an independent, non-governmental body and the review is solely within its remit.

National Productivity Investment Fund

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2016 to Question 55190, what estimate he has made of the proportion of spending from the National Productivity Investment Fund to be allocated to projects outside London; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The government has established a National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) to provide £23bn of additional spending between 2017/18 and 2021/22. Every penny spent by the UK government is explicitly earmarked for areas that are critical to boosting productivity: economic infrastructure (transport and digital communications), Research and Development (R&D), and housing. Further details about specifically how and where this money will be invested will be set out by the relevant departments and agencies in due course. Where spending on measures within the NPIF does not extend to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, the devolved administrations will receive funding through the Barnett formula in the usual way.

Treasury: Personnel Management

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people employed in human resources roles in his Department have (a) prior experience and (b) qualifications in human resources.

Simon Kirby: This information is not held centrally within HM Treasury. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost

Customs

Helen Goodman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the change required in the (a) cost and (b) number of personnel required for customs administration if the UK departs the (i) EU single market and (ii) EU customs union.

Mr David Gauke: No decision has been taken on whether the UK remains in the EU single market or the EU customs union. The relationship we build with the EU will be bespoke to the UK. The government is considering carefully the impact of all the available options.

Cider: Excise Duties

Chris Elmore: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to increase duty paid on white cider products.

Jane Ellison: The Government keeps all taxes under review, including alcohol duties, and is always willing to consider any evidence in relation to alcohol taxation policy.

Unpaid Taxes

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made in recovering unpaid taxes following publication of the Panama papers.

Jane Ellison: On 8 November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary updated the House on the work of the cross-agency taskforce that was set up to analyse and take action on the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)’s Panama Papers data leak. As part of this update, they confirmed that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had opened civil and criminal investigations into 22 individuals for suspected tax evasion, and has placed 43 high net worth individuals under special review while their links to Panama are further investigated. HMRC will engage the relevant prosecuting authorities to bring any identified wrongdoing before the courts. On 7 December, it confirmed that two arrests had been made as part of a criminal investigation involving the use of a number of offshore companies to disguise the beneficial ownership of UK property. As stated previously, Parliament will be kept updated on any significant developments.

Treasury: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many unpaid internships there are in his Department.

Jane Ellison: There are no unpaid internships in HM Treasury

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Margaret Ferrier: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's policy paper, entitled Soft Drinks Industry Levy, published on 5 December 2016, what the alternative levy free options are for people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes affected by the proposed soft drinks industry levy.

Jane Ellison: There will continue to be levy free alternatives available, such as fruit juice and glucose tablets. The Government has also exempted Foods for Specific Groups from the levy, which ensures that certain foods for medicinal purposes will remain levy free.

Economic Policy: Channel Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2016 to Question 54118, what assessment his Department has made of the net benefit to the UK economy of Jersey and Guernsey setting independent economic and taxation policies.

Jane Ellison: The Government values the strong relationship between the UK and Jersey and Guernsey. HM Treasury officials meet with their counterparts from Jersey and Guernsey regularly to discuss issues of mutual interest, including the need for strong regulation and tax transparency.

Sharing Economy

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the ruling of the Employment Tribunal on Aslam and others vs Uber of 28 October 2016, case number 2202550/2015, relating to the employment classification of Uber drivers, if he will estimate the effect on national insurance tax receipts of the misclassification of workers in the gig economy.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) created the Employment Status and Intermediaries Team to focus on employment status and employment intermediary risks. HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance, the outcome of Employment Tribunal cases, third-party data and other data will help inform the Government’s assessment of the number of people whose employment status has been incorrectly classified. The Government has not currently made an assessment of the effect on National Insurance receipts of the misclassification of workers in the gig economy.

Fossil Fuels: Taxation

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how much proposed simplification of reporting processes for petroleum revenue tax will save oil and gas companies each year.

Jane Ellison: The average administrative burden saving to companies in the oil and gas sector from simplifying the reporting process for Petroleum Revenue Tax is estimated at £620,000 per annum. Further information about the measure can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note (published 23 November 2016). This is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/petroleum-revenue-tax-cutting-administration-costs-for-the-oil-industry/petroleum-revenue-tax-cutting-administration-costs-for-the-oil-industry

Fossil Fuels: Taxation

Callum McCaig: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when new reporting processes to reduce the administrative costs of petroleum revenue tax for oil and gas companies are planned to come into effect.

Jane Ellison: There are two stages to the simplification of the reporting process for the Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT). The first is the simplification of the process for opting fields out of the PRT regime and the second concerns the removal of reporting requirements from PRT forms. Both simplifications came into force from 23 November 2016. Further details about the measure can be found in its technical note (published 23 November 2016). This is available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/petroleum-revenue-tax-cutting-administration-costs-for-the-oil-industry-technical-note/petroleum-revenue-tax-cutting-administration-costs-for-the-oil-industry-technical-note

Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2016 to Question 55382, on what date the powers of the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 were first used to change tax credit awards automatically.

Jane Ellison: These regulations were first used to change tax credits awards on 6th April 2016.

LIBOR: Fines

Jake Berry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's announcement in 2012 on the proceeds from LIBOR fines to be used to support charities and related good causes, how much the Government has collected in such fines since 2012; and how much of that money has been provided to charities and related good causes.

Simon Kirby: Since 2012, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has transferred £973 million of LIBOR fines to the Treasury, of which £723 million has been committed to Armed Forces and Emergency Service charities and other related good causes. A further £200 million has been committed towards supporting Apprenticeships.

Drugs: Manufacturing Industries

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will take steps to ensure that the proceeds of fines imposed by the Competition and Markets Authority on pharmaceutical companies will be invested in the NHS.

Mr David Gauke: As with other fine income, fines levied by the CMA for breaches of competition law are returned to the Consolidated Fund. Receipts from this fine will therefore help fund the £10bn increase in NHS funding set out at the Spending Review. A separate process is available for parties to recover damages suffered as a result of anti-competitive behaviour through the courts.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Legal Costs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2016 to Question 53451, what estimate he has made of the amount of those potential legal costs.

Mr David Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 November 2016 to Question 52878.

Treaties

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which international treaties the UK will remain bound by after the UK has left the EU.

Mr David Jones: We are examining all treaties which relate to our membership of the EU with a view to delivering the best outcomes for the UK.

Infrastructure: Liverpool City Region

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on European structural funding in Merseyside and Halton of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones: The Government recognises the importance of ensuring regions and organisations have stability and certainty in the period leading up to our departure from the European Union. At the same time, we are keen to use the opportunities that departure presents to set our own priorities. The Chancellor has announced that the Treasury will guarantee structural and investment fund bids which are signed before the UK leaves the EU. This includes funding for projects agreed after the Autumn Statement, if they represent good value for money, and if they are in line with the government’s strategic priorities, even if these projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. Over the coming months, the government will consult closely with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest, while ensuring appropriate certainty.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Work Experience

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many unpaid internships there are in his Department.

Mr David Jones: There are no unpaid internships. The Civil Service runs the Summer Diversity Internship Programme, which is a two month placement and is paid. The Civil Service also runs the Early Diversity Internship Programme which is for a week only (and more akin to work experience) – it provides expenses to encourage applications and ensure there is no financial loss.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Consultants

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many third party (a) consultants and (b) consultancy companies have been commissioned by his Department since it was established; and what the cost to the public purse of such commissioning has been.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many third party (a) consultants and (b) consultancy companies his Department plans to commission; and what the cost to the public purse of such commissioning will be in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2020.

Mr David Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 1 December 2016 to Question 55210 and 55211 which provides details on consultancy companies engaged by the Department.Going forward, the Department will make further use of external support and recruitment as appropriate to ensure it has the right expertise to deliver its objectives.

Fisheries: Norway

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he discussed the future of the UK fishing industry with the Norwegian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK.

Mr David Jones: We have already started a wide-ranging programme of engagement in order to build a national consensus, listening to organisations, institutions and companies in as many sectors as possible to establish their priorities and understand their concerns, and also to hear what they think the solutions could be. These discussions will inform our negotiating position; it would not be in the national interest to give a running commentary.

Food: Overseas Trade

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he had discussions on the potential effect of tariffs on the seafood trade between Britain and Norway with the Norwegian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK.

Mr David Jones: The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union met with the Norwegian Foreign Minister on 5 December. They discussed our work towards an orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

European Economic Area: Membership

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government's policy is on whether Article 127 of the EEA agreement should be triggered.

Mr David Jones: As the UK is party to the EEA agreement only in its capacity as an EU member state, once we leave the European Union the EEA agreement will automatically cease to apply to the UK.

Department for International Trade

Food: Overseas Trade

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he held discussions on the potential effect of tariffs on the seafood trade between Britain and Norway with the Norwegian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK.

Greg Hands: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State discussed a range of topics with the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs on his recent visit. It included the UK’s Commitments at the World Trade Organization and how the UK and Norway can continue to build our trade relationship. Fisheries and seafood trade work is led by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to his oral evidence to the European Scrutiny Committee on 26 October 2016, on Parliamentary Scrutiny of EU Trade Deal: Canada/EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, HC 792, for what reasons a debate on that agreement did not take place in the House in November 2016.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon Member for Brent North to the answer given by my hon Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade, to the hon Member for Birmingham, Hall Green on 6 December; UIN:55925.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Employment

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people working in the creative industries whose jobs are linked to Channel 4, but who are not employed by that channel.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the wider creative industries of any change to the structure of Channel 4.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her plans are for the future of Channel 4; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: No decision has been taken on the future of Channel 4. The government is looking at a broad range of options, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership. In a fast-changing and challenging broadcasting environment, we want to ensure Channel 4 has a strong and secure future and can continue to make a positive contribution to the overall public service broadcasting (PSB) system and wider creative industries.

Channel Four

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40504, whether she has held any meetings with her Ministerial colleagues on options for the future of Channel 4 since her appointment.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings her Department and the Prime Minister's Office have had on the future of Channel 4 in the last six months.

Matt Hancock: Ministers and officials periodically meet with a range of colleagues across government to discuss departmental issues, including regularly updating the Prime Minister’s office on progress on the department’s priorities.

Arts: Self-employed

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ministers of HM Treasury on the potential effect on freelance creative workers of HM Revenue and Customs proposals that self-employed workers update their tax quarterly.

Matt Hancock: Ministers regularly discuss with colleagues how policies effect sectors for which they are responisble.

Internet: Security

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to encourage secure web programming among web developers, software and hardware vendors and site administrators.

Matt Hancock: As outlined in the National Cyber Security Strategy, the Government is undertaking an extensive cyber security skills programme to ensure the UK has a self-sustaining pipeline of talent providing the skills the economy needs. As part of this programme, we have ensured all Further Education digital courses have a mandatory cyber security component, while Computing Science degrees accredited by the British Computer Society must now include comprehensive teaching on cyber security and have generated some material to support this. This is helping to ensure the current and future generation of IT graduates and professionals have the skills needed for secure programming when developing web-based products. As part of our cyber skills programme, we are also undertaking extensive work in schools, with apprentices and helping non-cyber professionals, ensuring the UK workforce continues to have the skills needed to keep the digital economy secure. In addition, the Government works closely with industry to promote the need for good cyber security practices. The National Cyber Security Strategy makes it clear we are building a secure Internet and sets out an objective for “the majority of online products and services coming into use [to] become ‘secure by default’ by 2021.

Channel Four Television: Public Appointments

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers of her Department and (c) officials of her Department have had with each of the candidates recommended by Ofcom for appointment to the Channel 4 Board; and if she will make a statement.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what vetting procedures were (a) carried out and (b) considered by her Department in relation to the candidates recommended by Ofcom for appointment to the Board of Channel 4; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State can ask a minister to meet with candidates deemed appointable at interview, before making a final decision, or indeed meet them herself. There were no meetings or conversations between ministers and any of the candidates in relation to the Channel 4 board appointments. DCMS received the panel's assessment of each candidate and a copy of the CV of each candidate put forward by Ofcom. There were four vacancies and four appointments were made on merit.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on European mobile data roaming charges for UK citizens of the UK leaving the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: As we conduct our negotiations to leave the EU, we will aim to obtain the best deal for consumers on roaming, to support participation in a single market for digital goods and services.

Department of Health

Community Hospitals: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many community hospital beds are currently available in Dorset; and for which locations are there plans to increase the number of community beds available to patients in South East Dorset.

David Mowat: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 November 2016.The correct answer should have been:

NHS England advises that there are currently347 357  community hospital beds in Dorset. Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group is proposing under its current Clinical Services Review to provide an additional 69 community beds, increasing numbers in the east of the county and reducing numbers in the west. The proposals are based on projected local demand and any changes will be subject to full public consultation.

David Mowat: NHS England advises that there are currently347 357  community hospital beds in Dorset. Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group is proposing under its current Clinical Services Review to provide an additional 69 community beds, increasing numbers in the east of the county and reducing numbers in the west. The proposals are based on projected local demand and any changes will be subject to full public consultation.

NHS: Working Hours

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the extent of rota gaps across the NHS workforce.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally. As part of the implementation of the new contract for junior doctors, all trusts are reviewing their rotas to ensure that they are compliant with the new limits on working hours and patterns. This will shine a light on rota gaps and trusts will need to take appropriate action to deal with any issues arising. The Guardians of Safe Working Hours, now in place in all trusts, will report to trust Boards on the issue of rota gaps within junior doctor rotas. Where serious issues are not addressed, concerns will be escalated, potentially to the Care Quality Commission and the General Medical Council.

Doctors: Conditions of Employment

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of doctors working in NHS hospitals who do not have access to (a) rest facilities and (b) food and drink facilities during their shift.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that doctors working outside of normal office hours have access to (a) rest facilities and (b) food and drink facilities.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally. It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that they comply with requirements to provide healthy and safe working conditions. The national contract for junior doctors contains specific provisions on access to food and drink and access to rest facilities; this includes that doctors on a night shift must have access to a space in which to take meals and other rest breaks and that arrangements should be made for accessing hot and cold food and drink outside the periods when restaurant facilities are open. In addition the new contract for junior doctors contains a number of other provisions designed to ensure safe working hours, reducing the maximum number of hours a week that junior doctors can be asked to work and the number of consecutive night and long day shifts. These will be overseen in every trust by a Guardian of Safe Working Hours.

Doctors: Bureaucracy

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of administrative tasks undertaken by hospital doctors.

Mr Philip Dunne: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Prior) has established the Burden Reduction Challenge Panel in partnership with NHS Providers, NHS Confederation and Care England. This process allows frontline professionals through their representative bodies, to identify and challenge unnecessary bureaucracy in their daily activities. The panel will hold the Department and its arm’s length bodies to account for any unnecessary burdens created and these will be amended or removed, freeing up the time of frontline professionals to care for patients.

Smoking

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he had made of the level of regional variation in smoking prevalences across England; and whether the Government plans to take steps to address those regional variations.

Nicola Blackwood: There are unacceptable variations in smoking prevalence across England which ranges from 9.5% to 26.8%. This information can be found as part of the Tobacco Control Profiles at:http://www.tobaccoprofiles.info/The new tobacco control plan will place tackling these inequalities at its heart.

NHS: Debts

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent forecast his Department has made of the level of deficit in (a) NHS providers and (b) clinical commissioning groups in 2016-17.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government’s expectation is that the National Health Service will deliver financial balance in this year and this is made clear in the Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2016-17. The NHS leadership bodies have set out their own plan for delivering financial balance and future year sustainability for the NHS, in the Five Year Forward View (October 2014) and Strengthening Financial Performance & Accountability in 2016-17 (July 2016). There has been some progress so far, but there is no room for complacency. That is why the system needs to stick to its strong financial plan, supported by our £10 billion investment and the series of measures set out to help providers become more efficient and reduce the use of expensive agency staff. NHS Improvement has set out its latest expectations for the provider sector in its Quarter 2 performance report, that can be found via the following link: https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/quarterly-performance-nhs-provider-sector-quarter-2-1617/ NHS England has set out its latest expectations for the commissioning sector in its Financial Performance Report: Second Quarter 2016-17, that can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publications/financial-performance-reports/

Babies: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the proportion of babies with group B streptococus infection that (a) die and (b) develop long-term health problems as a result of that infection.

Mr Philip Dunne: The table below provides the number of deaths registered in 2015 to those aged between 28 days and under one year in England and Wales where the underlying cause of death was group B streptococcus (GBS) infection. It is not possible to identify a single underlying cause of death for babies born under 28 days. It is estimated one in 10 babies born with GBS will die from the infection. Estimates have suggested that GBS will cause long term disability in approximately 25 babies a year. Number of deaths registered to those aged between 28 days and under 1 year where the underlying cause of death was GBS infection, 2015, England and Wales ICD-10 codeUnderlying cause of deathNumber of deaths registeredPercentage of all deaths at ages 28 days to one yearA40.1Sepsis due to streptococcus, group B10.1B95.1Streptococcus, group B, as the cause of diseases classified to other chapters00J15.3Pneumonia due to streptococcus, group B00P23.3Congenital pneumonia due to streptococcus, group B00P36.0Sepsis of newborn due to streptococcus, group B10.1P39.8Other specified infections specific to the perinatal period20.2 Notes:There were 818 deaths registered to those aged between 28 days and one year in England and Wales in 2015.GBS infection can also be recorded under ICD-10 code P39.8 but deaths from other infections specific to the perinatal period can also be coded to P39.8. Source: Office for National Statistics

Babies: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of treating a baby with group B streptococus infection.

Mr Philip Dunne: Public Health England have been collaborating with researchers in Cambridge on a study assessing the potential cost-effectiveness of maternal group B streptococcus (GBS) vaccination in anticipation of a vaccine becoming available in the coming years. As part of this assessment, the cost of treatment of infants with GBS infection is being evaluated and will be available at the conclusion of the study.

Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of (a) an enriched culture medium test performed in an NHS hospital and (b) processing a home-testing pack for the diagnosis of group B streptococus infection.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information is not available centrally on laboratory costs. In June 2015, Public Health England (PHE), in response to requests to introduce the enriched culture medium (ECM) test into PHE laboratories, advised and published a position paper which sets out that within current accepted clinical guidelines, there are no indications for testing women using ECM methods. The position paper is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/group-b-streptococcus-infection-enriched-culture-medium-test

Accidents: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the amount recovered from third party insurers for NHS treatment in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how much of that amount which is recoverable remains outstanding.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is provided in the table below, which reflects the total actual amount recovered by the National Health Service in each of the last five financial years. The Department does not hold information centrally on the value of outstanding claims which may or may not result in the recovery of treatment costs. NHS Injury Cost Recovery schemeFinancial YearNHS Recoveries2015/16£170,568,3502014/15£181,430,0602013/14£194,956,0342012/13£192,599,3782011/12£191,830,602Note:The data reflects the total value of NHS Recoveries (including Ambulance Charges) received by the Compensation Recovery Unit relating to the NHS Injury Costs Recovery Scheme for Trusts in England between 1 April 2011 – 31 March 2016.

Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the proportion of adults who carry group B streptococus.

Mr Philip Dunne: Studies undertaken1 to date indicate group B streptococcus could be carried in the gut and genital tract of 20-30% adults. Carriage of the organism in mouth and throat is less well assessed but thought to occur in less than 10% of adults. Note: 1 Rodriguez-Granger J, Alvargonzalez JC, Berardi A, et al. Prevention of group B streptococcal neonatal disease revisited. The DEVANI European project. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2012; 31(9): 2097-104.

Pregnancy: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of treating pregnant women who carry the group B streptococcus with antibiotics during pregnancy and childbirth on preventing the transmission of that infection to new-born babies.

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to replace the Group B Streptococcus Prevention Strategy which is based on risk factors with offering the enriched culture medium test to all pregnant women on the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: Systematic reviews by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Cochrane Collaboration estimate that intravenous penicillin administered during labour is 80 – 85% effective in preventing early onset group B streptococcus (EOGBS). However both reviews reported that the evidence supporting this was poor. In addition no conclusions could be drawn on the effectiveness of antibiotics in labour in reducing the mortality rate from EOGBS. Each year there will be about 450 babies affected by EOGBS and about 170,000 women who carry group B streptococcus (GBS) at the point of delivery. Most babies come into contact with GBS during labour and experience no ill effect and are born healthy. The balance of benefit and harm from treating women with preventive antibiotics in labour has not been explored in large studies. There is currently no GBS Prevention Strategy, The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is actively considering the recommendation on antenatal screening for maternal GBS carriage. A public consultation is currently open and will close on the 25 January 2017. A recommendation is expected in February in 2017. The UK NSC welcomes input onto the consultation.

Babies: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of babies who don't receive preventative medicine who then go on to develop group B streptococus if their mother is (a) a carrier and (b) not a carrier of that infection.

Mr Philip Dunne: The UK National Screening Committee’s most recent evidence review estimated that in a population of 776,352 pregnant women, which includes those delivering at term and preterm, there would be approximately 163,000 carriers of group B streptococcus (GBS) at the point of delivery. If all carriers were untreated there would be about 450 cases of early onset GBS equivalent to 0.3% of babies born. Information about the number of women receiving preventative treatment for GBS is not collected centrally.

Babies: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of the change in the rate of babies becoming infected with group B streptococus in the UK relative to the change in the rate in (a) the US, (b) Canada, (c) Germany, (d) France and (e) Spain in the last 10 years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend screening for group B streptococcus. In the United Kingdom Public Health England laboratory voluntary surveillance reports show that the early onset group B streptococcus (EOGBS) rate has fluctuated with slight increases in recent years and estimate this has increased from 0.37 to 0.44/1000 live births between 2006 and 2015. The current UK NSC evidence review estimates that the rate in term women is approximately 0.41/1000 live term births. A 2013 report from the USA reported that the rate in term women was 0.21/ 1000 live births. Comparison of the rate in term women is important as this is the group that will be affected by screening. However it is difficult to make comparision with areas in which screening has been implemented as the majority do no report EOGBS by gestation.

Wheelchairs: Waiting Lists

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people wait more than (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months to receive a wheelchair through the NHS.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was for a person to receive a wheelchair through the NHS in the last three years.

David Mowat: The requested data is not held centrally.

Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the relative effectiveness of the enriched culture medium test and the common all-purpose test in diagnosing group B streptococus infection.

Mr Philip Dunne: A number of published studies indicate selective enrichment broth culture of vagino-rectal swabs is superior to non selective plate culture to improve the recovery of group B streptococcus (GBS) and avoid the overgrowth by vaginal and rectal flora. Public Health England is not aware of any studies that have compared these tests’ ability to predict early onset GBS infection.

Babies: Meningitis

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in new-born babies.

Mr Philip Dunne: The most common cause of neonatal meningitis is bacterial infection of the blood, known as bacteremia. (The specific bacteria are Group B Streptococci).

Pregnancy: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of using intravenous antibiotics in preventing the transmission of group B streptococcus infection to at-risk new-born babies.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published a revised green-top guideline in 2012 on the prevention of early onset neonatal group B streptococcal (GBS) disease. The purpose of the guideline is to provide guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists on the prevention of early onset neonatal GBS disease. It recommends offering intrapartum penicillin prophylaxis to women with a risk factor that is associated with invasive GBS disease in their newborn baby. These are: - previous baby with invasive GBS infection- GBS bacteriuria in the current pregnancy- vaginal swab positive for GBS in current pregnancy- pyrexia (>38 °C) in labour- chorioamnionitis In addition the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a clinical guideline which addresses early onset GBS and other neonatal infections, ‘Antibiotics for early-onset neonatal infection: Antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early-onset neonatal infection’ (August 2012). The clinical guideline is available at:http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg149

Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Ministers of his Department have had with the group B streptococcus support group on testing for that infection.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Ben Gummer) met representatives from the charity Group B Strep Support (GBSS) and my Rt. hon. Friend, the Member for Mid Sussex (Sir Nicholas Soames), patron of GBSS to discuss group B streptococcus (GBS) in December 2015. The Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser held two workshops on 19 September and 20 October this year with leading experts from a wide range of organisations, including the charity GBSS to agree workable research questions on early-onset GBS to improve knowledge of the infection. The first workshop discussed evidence gaps in relation to early-onset GBS and the second workshop developed science-based research questions for funders to consider. On 17 November officials met with GBSS to discuss recent policy developments including the publication of Safer Maternity Care, and the Maternity Transformation Programme. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is currently reviewing its recommendation on antenatal screening for GBS carriage as part of its three yearly review cycle. A public consultation is being held which will close on 25 January 2017. Following the closure of the consultation, the UK NSC will review its recommendation on screening for GBS carriage in pregnancy and a recommendation will be made to Ministers.

Babies: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list for (a) new-born babies and (b) babies aged between seven and 90 days the signs of group B streptococcus infection.

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the most common infections caused to new-born babies by group B streptococus.

Mr Philip Dunne: If a baby develops group B streptococcus infection (GBS) infection less than seven days after birth, it is known as early-onset GBS infection. Most babies who become infected develop symptoms within 12 hours of birth. Symptoms include:- being floppy and unresponsive;- not feeding well;- grunting;- high or low temperature;- fast or slow heart rates;- fast or slow breathing rates; and- irritability. Most babies who become infected can be treated successfully and will make a full recovery. However, even with the best medical care the infection can sometimes cause life-threatening complications, such as: - blood poisoning (septicaemia);- infection of the lung (pneumonia); and- infection of the lining of the brain (meningitis). Early-onset GBS infection can cause problems such as cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, and serious learning difficulties. Late-onset GBS infection develops seven or more days after a baby is born. Most commonly the baby presents with sepsis. It is not usually associated with pregnancy. The baby is most likely to have become infected after the birth, for example, they may have caught the infection from someone else. GBS infections after three months of age are extremely rare.

Pregnancy: Streptococcus

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what cost-benefit assessment he has made of detecting group B streptococcus during pregnancy.

Mr Philip Dunne: Two cost effectiveness estimates have been made by the health technology assessment. One estimated1 that screening may be cost effective but recommended more research to evaluate the balance of benefit and harm from screening. The second2 estimated that screening was close to current cost effectiveness thresholds. It was uncertain whether screening or risk factor management was the more cost effective option. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence3 have been unable to evaluate the cost effectiveness of screening because of a lack of data on key parameters. Notes: 1 Colbourn et al. Prenatal screening and treatment strategies to prevent group B streptococcal and other bacterial infections in early infancy: cost-effectiveness and expected value of information analyses.2007. HTA. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17651659 2 Daniels et al. Cost-effectiveness of rapid tests and other existing strategies for screening and management of early-onset group B streptococcus during labour.2010.HTA.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21078057 3 Antenatal care guideline 2008; https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg62

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed as having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each of the last five years.

David Mowat: The number of people diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) each year is not available. However, the number of patients with a diagnosis of COPD on their general practitioner patient record for each year between 2011-12 and 2015-16 is displayed below. This information is also published by NHS Digital on the Quality and Outcomes Framework website which can be found at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/QOF Reporting yearCOPD disease register2015-161,066,4712014-151,034,5782013-141,004,9202012-13974,9992011-12938,511

Respiratory System

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will produce a respiratory strategy for the NHS.

David Mowat: There are no plans for a national respiratory strategy. In July 2011 ‘An Outcomes Strategy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma in England’ was published. This was followed by a companion document in 2012, which set out how the National Health Service could implement the changes identified in the strategy at a local level.

Care Homes: Risk Assessment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many care home providers the Care Quality Commission has held risk assessment meetings with since April 2015.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many care home providers have been referred to local authorities by the Care Quality Commission as being at risk of financial failure since April 2015.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many care home providers have been required by the Care Quality Commission to develop Risk Mitigation Plans since April 2015.

David Mowat: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC has advised: Section 56 of the Care Act 2014 requires the CQC to notify affected local authorities if a care provider that is subject to the market oversight scheme is likely to have a business failure event which will cause regulated activities to cease. Since April 2015, the CQC has been assessing the financial sustainability of all the providers who are eligible for the scheme. The CQC has not made any notifications to local authorities under Section 56 as no providers have met the criteria set out in the Care Act 2014 of a likely business failure event and likely service cessation. Following consultation, the CQC published guidance in March 2015 setting out how it would operate the new regulatory regime of market oversight in adult social care. The guidance explains the purpose of both a Risk Assessment Meeting and a Risk Mitigation Plan as steps in the CQC’s process to better understand potential risks to sustainability of providers to allow the CQC to assess if the criteria set out in Section 56 of the Care Act 2014. The CQC does not provide data on the number of risk assessment meetings held or risk mitigation plans requested as this could be commercially confidential.

Care Homes: Contracts

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many regulated care home providers have handed back contracts to local authorities in each of the last three years.

David Mowat: The Government does not collect information on how many regulated care home providers have handed back contracts to local authorities. Commissioning high quality social care is a matter for local authorities who are best placed to understand the needs of local people and communities, and how best to meet them. The Department published statutory guidance for the Care Act to support local authorities in their market shaping duties to ensure a healthy market.

Care Homes: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many care homes inspected by the Care Quality Commission in 2015-16 did not meet the requirements as set out in Regulation 13 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2014.

David Mowat: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care. The CQC has advised that the intention of regulation 13 is to safeguard people who use services from suffering any form of abuse or improper treatment while receiving care and treatment. Improper treatment includes discrimination or unlawful restraint, which includes inappropriate deprivation of liberty under the terms of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The following table shows the number of care homes that have breached Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment which came into force on 1 April 2015. Fiscal Year starting 1 AprilNumber of Care Homes with Breaches of Regulation 13 in Published Inspections2015-163882016-17290Total667Source: CQC database as at 7 December 2016Notes:There were 16,649 care homes active at 31 March 2016 (source: CQC database as at 4 April 2016); and there 16,396 currently active care homes as at today’s date (7 December 2016).The data in the table excludes breaches where the following action types were served: Urgent Cancellation, Simple Caution, Fixed Penalty Notice, Prosecution as it is not possible to report on these from the CQC database for the period specified in the request.The majority of care homes are run by adult social care providers. A small number of care homes are run by NHS trusts and where this is the case the data on breaches for the care home will be captured within information about the NHS trust as a whole.The total number of locations that have breached Regulation 13 is lower than the subtotal for each year as some locations were found in breach in both years and the total is a count of unique locations.

Food: Hygiene

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he intends to bring forward legislative proposals making it compulsory for restaurants and catering outlets to publicly display their food hygiene rating on their premises, websites and menus.

Nicola Blackwood: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. Currently it is voluntary for food businesses in England to display their hygiene ratings. Display has been mandatory in Wales since November 2013 and in Northern Ireland since October 2016. The FSA is exploring how a statutory scheme, including display of ratings on-line, could be delivered in England, aligned with their wider regulatory reform approach. The Government will consider this evidence carefully once it is available.

Obesity

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department will take to ensure that clinical commissioning groups follow criteria for surgical interventions in the NICE clinical guideline CG189, on obesity: identification, assessment and management of obesity in children, young people and adults.

David Mowat: Managing the identification, assessment and management of obesity in children, young people and adults is a matter for clinical commissioning groups, who have the remit for deciding policy on services within their commissioning responsibility. Where there is National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidance, then the commissioner would need to give this due regard when formulating policy.

Obesity

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for all clinical commissioning groups to be responsible for commissioning Tier 4 Specialised Complex Obesity Services after the transfer of such services from NHS England.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning Tier 4 Specialised Complex Obesity Services after the transfer of such services from NHS England.

David Mowat: All clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for commissioning obesity surgery from 1 April 2017.

Hospital Beds

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the average cost to the NHS of each day of delayed discharge.

David Mowat: No estimate has been made of the average cost to the National Health Service for each day of delayed discharge.

Surgery: Eligibility

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the extent to which clinical commissioning groups are rationing treatments by restricting access to routine surgery for patients who smoke or are clinically obese.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the requirements of their population including obese people and smokers. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.

Care Homes

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents of care homes had an emergency admission to a hospital in 2015-16.

David Mowat: Accurate information on the number of residents of care homes that had an emergency admission to a hospital is not available. Hospital episode statistics include a field which identifies where the patient was immediately prior to admission. Most patients are admitted from home, categorised as ‘usual place of residence, including no fixed abode’, but there are exceptions. This field therefore includes a range of other categories, including care homes. There may be admissions recorded as ‘usual place of residence, including no fixed abode’ where the patient was actually resident in a residential or nursing care home rather than their home, but this was designated as their usual place of residence. The number of times this occurs is unknown, but admissions recorded as from a care home are likely to be significantly understated.

Health Professions: Training

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to abolish student bursaries for degree courses in the nursing, midwifery and allied health professions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The reforms to pre-registration healthcare education funding, for introduction on 1 August 2017, will not require amendments to the legislation under which the National Health Service bursary is provided.

Care Homes

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2016 to Question 49729, what changes there were in the level of capacity available between 2010 and 2014.

David Mowat: The number of care homes, care home beds and home care agencies can be calculated from publicly available Care Quality Commission (CQC) data which is available at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/how-get-and-re-use-cqc-information-and-data#directory The following table shows that whilst the number of care homes has been falling, they are increasing in average size and the total number of beds has been broadly unchanged. The number of domiciliary care agencies has grown significantly and there has been a shift from residential to nursing care home provision.  September 2010December 2014December 2016Change September 2010 to December 2014Change September 2010 to December 2016Residential care beds255,289240,840238,685-5.66%-6.50%Nursing care beds205,375224,727220,8949.42%7.56%Total care beds460,664465,567459,5791.06%-0.24%Residential care homes13,68112,49411,966-8.68%-12.54%Nursing care homes4,3874,7214,5157.61%2.92%Total care homes18,06817,21516,481-4.72%-8.78%Domiciliary care agencies5,7808,0798,54439.78%47.82%

Dermatology

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place a list of NHS providers with whom NHS England holds contracts to provide specialist dermatology services in the Library.

David Mowat: A list of current specialised Dermatology providers, last updated on 31 October 2016, is below: Barts Health NHS TrustUniversity Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation TrustRoyal Free London NHS Foundation TrustAlder Hey Children's NHS Foundation TrustSheffield Children's NHS Foundation TrustRoyal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustRoyal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation TrustUniversity Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation TrustSheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustGuy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustSt George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustKing's College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustUniversity Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS TrustNorfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSalford Royal NHS Foundation TrustGreat Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation TrustBirmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation TrustRoyal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS TrustChelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustHeart of England NHS Foundation TrustLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSouth Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustHull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS TrustUniversity Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS TrustSandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS TrustImperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

NHS: Drugs

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what NHS England's policy is on the approval of Individual Funding Requests for an unlicensed indication where there is a licensed NICE-recommended alternative.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England has advised that it would expect patients to be offered a licensed drug recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the first instance. However, if that drug is clinically unsuitable for an individual patient, then a clinician can apply for funding for an off label or unlicensed drug through the standard Individual Funding Request process. In such cases the clinician would need to explain why the licensed drug is not suitable for the patient, demonstrate that the patient is clinically exceptional and provide evidence that the patient will benefit from the requested drug.

Health Services: Costs

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the transaction costs of the (a) internal and (b) external market to health services in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: National Health Service commissioners’ primary responsibility is the planning and purchase of NHS services to meet the health needs of the population from all types of healthcare providers. The vast majority of these services are purchased from NHS providers (NHS trusts and foundation trusts), however an element of these types of services is purchased from non-NHS healthcare providers such as local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and private sector providers. NHS England does not collect or report the spending on transaction costs relating to the management of this responsibility. However, these types of costs will score to NHS England’s overall administration budget, the spending outturns for which are published in NHS England’s Annual Report and Accounts and summarised in the table below. Since NHS England began operations in 2013, administration costs have been reducing year on year.  2013-142014-152015-16£ million£ million£ millionAdministration Costs1,8981,7801,649

Health Services: Legal Opinion

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the expenditure on competition and corporate lawyers by health services in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is not held centrally. The total spend on legal fees is shown in the Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts. For the last three years these can be found at: 2013-14 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-of-health-annual-report-and-accounts-2013-to-2014 2014-15 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-of-health-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015 2015-16 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-of-health-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016

Health Services: Procurement

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the expenditure on tendering and bidding processes by health services in each of the last three years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Health Services: Weather

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the differences are between the Cold Weather Plan 2016 and the Cold Weather Plan 2015.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the differences are between the Cold Weather Plan 2015 and the Cold Weather Plan 2014.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England publishes the Cold Weather Plan for England (CWP), in collaboration with the Department, NHS England and the Local Government Association. The CWP was first published in winter 2011 and has undergone annual updates until 2015 based on stakeholder feedback, new policy developments and new evidence. As a result of feedback from end-users who requested stability of content to facilitate local implementation, the 2015 edition of the plan remains extant until further notice. Amendments include confirmation and integration of the findings of the 2012-13 independent evaluation of the CWP; consistency checking with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidance on Excess Winter Deaths and morbidity and the health risks associated with cold homes; reference to the fuel poverty strategy for England; updated advice on flu vaccination consistent with most recent recommendations; and publication of the ‘Top Tips for keeping Warm and Well’ leaflet developed in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions and revision of the ‘Keep Warm, Keep Well’ booklet.

NHS

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the effect on the NHS of the UK leaving the EU is not adverse.

David Mowat: The Department is working on ensuring the best outcome for the health and social care system. All policy teams within the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on their area. This includes working with NHS England and other arm’s length bodies. The Prime Minister has instructed all departments to identify potential opportunities that will arise in their areas from EU Exit. The Government is united in its ambition to deliver a successful withdrawal from the EU and a new relationship with Europe, and departments will work together to deliver this.

Hepatitis

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to develop a national hepatitis C elimination strategy.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England has published hepatitis C metrics for the report ‘Hepatitis C in the UK 2016 report - Working towards its elimination as a major public health threat’. The report is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541317/Hepatitis_C_in_the_UK_2016_report.pdfThe United Kingdom has a comprehensive surveillance system in place combining laboratory diagnoses data, risk/behaviour data, outcome data, statistical modelling and service evaluation to monitor the cascade of care, detect outbreaks, and generate burden estimates. There is national guidance and legislation around infection control in healthcare settings including a policy for healthcare workers to prevent nosocomial transmission of blood-borne viruses. Prevention efforts in minimising harm in people who inject drugs is focused on access to opiate substitution therapies and needle syringe exchange programmes, and disinfection tablets in prisons.NHS England continues to support National Health Service-led Operational Delivery Networks to provide National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved treatments for hepatitis C.

Medical Treatments

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47601, whether NICE's planned review of its processes and systems in 2017 will include its methodology for assessing combination therapies.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it will continue to explore the procedural and methodological challenges of appraising combination therapies during 2017.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms there are to ensure that local authorities and clinical commissioning groups meet their statutory duty to provide free aftercare under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Nicola Blackwood: The Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice, which provides statutory guidance on the operation of the Mental Health Act is clear that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities are legally required to provide or arrange aftercare for patients who have been detained in hospital for treatment under certain sections of the Act. CCGs have to provide assurance that they are meeting their statutory duties. Where there are concerns that a CCG is not meeting those duties, NHS England may ask for further information or an explanation from the CCG and take such action as appropriate. Local authorities are independent bodies accountable to their electorate and have a legal obligation to fulfil a range of statutory duties to provide key services. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government can request an inspection under section 10 and intervene under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999 where there is clear evidence that an authority is failing either to discharge its functions adequately or meet its statutory obligations.

Neuromuscular Disorders: South Yorkshire

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase psychological support for adults with muscle-wasting conditions in south Yorkshire.

David Mowat: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services, including services for patients with neuromuscular disorders. NHS England has published a service specification for neurological care that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. The specification can be found at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf NHS providers, working with local area teams, may establish patient access to neuromuscular care advisers if they consider it would benefit service provision; such decisions are a local matter.

Dementia

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital bed days there were for people with a (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of dementia in each of the last 10 years.

David Mowat: The table below shows a count of hospital bed days for finished consultant episodes with a primary and secondary diagnosis of dementia, 2006-07 to 2015-16. Bed daysYearPrimary DiagnosisSecondary Diagnosis2006-071,305,5932,035,2982007-081,203,5272,083,9172008-091,066,5632,310,0152009-101,042,0502,484,3012010-11971,2362,664,5662011-12903,7122,740,5342012-13966,5492,971,9082013-14813,2473,094,9292014-15816,2373,401,2442015-16761,8193,477,810 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital, bespoke data

Malnutrition

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital bed days there were for people with a (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of malnutrition in each of the last 10 years.

Nicola Blackwood: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 18 November 2016 to Question 53159.

Dementia and Malnutrition

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital bed days there were for people with a primary diagnosis of malnutrition and a secondary diagnosis of dementia in each of the last 10 years.

Nicola Blackwood: Malnutrition can be caused by a variety of factors, including an inability to absorb nutrients normally, or a condition or disease which affects a patient’s ability to feed normally. The hospital bed days for finished consultant episodes with primary diagnosis of malnutrition and a secondary diagnosis of dementia in each of the last 10 years is presented in the following table.YearBed Days2006-076042007-083632008-095682009-106672010-113752011-121,1372012-131,1862013-148502014-158362015-161,082

Dementia

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many emergency hospital admissions there were of people with a (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of dementia in each of the last 10 years.

David Mowat: The table below shows a count of emergency finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary and secondary diagnosis of dementia from 2006-07 to 2015-16. Note, this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period.Emergency FAEsYearPrimary diagnosisSecondary diagnoses2006-0712,719105,9982007-0812,286119,7652008-0912,501141,2922009-1012,955163,5552010-1113,113188,3722011-1213,040204,8572012-1313,615229,6662013-1413,048245,9112014-1513,960276,9102015-1614,816288,749 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital – bespoke data.

Antidepressants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for antidepressants by (a) drug and (b) dose have been dispensed in each year since 2010.

David Mowat: Data on the number of items prescribed for antidepressants and dispensed in the community in England for 2010 – 2015 is provided in the attached table. The data available is at prescription item level by presentation. The presentation will state the strength but not the dose prescribed for the patient as they could have multiple daily administrations, more than once a day or more than one tablet at a time.



PQ56694 table  
(Excel SpreadSheet, 32.26 KB)

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2016 to Question 54960, what the outturn was for specialist commissioning of tier four child and adolescent mental health services in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

David Mowat: The outturn for specialist commissioning of tier four children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in 2014-15 and 2015-16 is recorded below. £ millions2014-152015-16CAMHS T4279.6295.3 Note that due to changes in how highly specialised services were classified in the two different years outturn is not directly comparable.

Eating Disorders

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2016 to Question 54960, what the outturn was for specialist commissioning of eating disorder units in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

David Mowat: The outturn for specialist commissioning of eating disorder units in 2014-15 and 2015-16 was as follows: £ millions2014-152015-16Eating Disorder Units77.698.4 Note that the outturns for 2014-15 and 2015-16 are not directly comparable due to differences in data reporting.

Health Professions: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow the abolition of bursaries for students attending degree courses in nursing, midwifery and allied health professions; and what the timetable for implementation of such proposals will be.

Mr Philip Dunne: The reforms to pre-registration healthcare education funding, for introduction on 1 August 2017, will not require amendments to the legislation under which the National Health Service bursary is provided.

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2016 to Question 55779, what areas of funding in the bespoke data collection contributed to the £3.4 billion difference between NHS England's estimate of mental health spending in 2014-15 and the outturn; and if he will correct the record.

Nicola Blackwood: The estimated figure of £11.7 billion includes spending on mental health by clinical commissioning groups and by NHS England for specialised mental health services. Other sources of direct spending on mental health from part of this estimate.

Women and Equalities

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Finance

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the expected budget is of the Equality and Human Rights Commission for each of the next three years.

Caroline Dinenage: As a result of the spending review 2015, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been allocated a budget of £21.435m for 2016-17.Budgets for the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 are being finalised by the Department for Education in consultation with the EHRC, and are consistent with the spending review settlement provided to the Department. We hope to be in a position to confirm budgets for these years shortly.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Publicity

Chris Stephens: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how much her Department spent on advertising the services provided by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: The Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is an independent body which, among other statutory functions, enforces the Equality Act 2010, encourages good practice in relation to equality and diversity, and monitors the effectiveness of the equality and human rights enactments. My Department promotes the EHRC’s functions where appropriate in the normal course of its own activities but since 2010 has not spent anything on advertising its services.

LGBT People: Bullying

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: We want to ensure that all schools are safe, inclusive environments where pupils are able to learn and fulfil their potential. The Government expects schools to take a strong stand against all forms of bullying and cyberbullying.This is why we recently announced a three year, £2.8 million, programme to prevent and address homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-children-to-benefit-from-anti-bullying-app).We have also published new cyberbullying guidance (http://www.childnet.com/resources/cyberbullying-guidance-for-schools) and an online safety toolkit for schools to help provide advice on understanding, preventing and responding to cyberbullying (http://www.childnet.com/resources/pshetoolkit).